Valentine’s Day may have come and gone, that doesn’t mean you can’t still smell the romance.
The Cleveland Clinic has offered some interesting facts about the nose, including its close link with sexual attraction. According to a report by Dr. Michael Benninger, a nose, ear, and throat specialist, smell plays a huge role in reproduction among both animals and humans.
Pheromones are important in reproduction among most animals, and that includes humans. The vomeronasal organ, a small accessory organ that no longer plays a direct role in our sense of smell, seems to have a part in this, to the point of some calling it a “sixth sense.” It is at the base of the nasal septum in the roof of the mouth, and present in the majority of animals, even amphibians.
“In humans, the VNO is largely vestigial or non-functional, acting as an old remnant like your appendix,” Benninger said in the Cleveland Clinic report. “But some researchers believe that it still plays a role in pheromone and other chemical communication.”
Benninger also described how smells affect our development of attraction in everyday settings. This could come in the form of the smell of a person’s perfume or cologne, maybe someone’s shampoo, or the smell of perspiration. A loss of smell can even lead to a decrease in sex drive.
“It’s amazing how many of our body functions are directed toward sexual activity and reproduction,” Dr. Benninger said.
To make sure your nose is functioning properly, take this Sinus Self-Assessment Quiz.
