By: Aileen Liu

Your nose has an impact on who you choose to befriend. Having the same body odor can make you instantly click with someone when you meet them for the first time according to a study published on June 24th.

Even though it’s rude to go out and sniff someone, you subconsciously do it and it affects your decisions without you noticing. For example, you are less likely to become friends with a person who hasn’t bathed in weeks. But could scent connections go further?

Inbal Ravreby, a graduate student in the lab of Noam Sobel, had conducted research. In this experiment, she had gathered 20 pairs of friends that clicked when they first met each other. For a few days, she had the pairs prevent anything that would affect someone’s body odor. Like not eating onions and garlic and using an unscented soap to bathe. After a few days, they would sleep in a provided T-shirt, so it gets “good and smelly” for the scientists to look at.

According to the research done by Ms. Ravreby, the scents of these instant friends matched more closely than those of strangers. It is possible that scent similarities could allow a person to feel more connected with the person they’re with.

Dr. Sobel, a certified dermatologist, conducted a separate experiment that concluded that 71% of the time, people with similar odors had a positive connection with each other. This confirms that whenever you’re sniffing a smell like yours it implies a good feeling in your hormones.

In conclusion, your nose has a part when your pick who you would become friends with. Think of a close friend you felt like you clicked with. Do you think you got together because you both had similar scents?

Source: https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1656875608498x655947992108723200/Does%20Your%20Nose%20Help%20Pick%20Your%20Friends_%20-%20The%20New%20York%20Times.pdf