By: Tia Ghose, LiveScience Staff Writer
Published: 11/30/2012 08:34 AM EST on LiveScience
Men who were born without a sense of smell report having far fewer sexual partners than other men do, and women with the same disorder report being more insecure in their partnerships, according to new research.
The researchers don't know why romantic difficulties could be tied to smell, but they say one possibility is that people with anosmia, or no sense of smell, are insecure, having missed many emotional signals all their life.
"A lot of social signals are transported through the olfactory channel, and they are probably missing them," said lead author Ilona Croy, a psychologist at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden.
The findings were published Nov. 22 in the journal Biological Psychology.
Though no official census of anosmiacs exists, the Anosmia Foundation estimates 2 million to 5 million American adults have taste and smell disorders. Some people are born lacking a sense of smell, while others lose it due to head trauma, nasal growths, radiation cancer treatment, or diseases such as Alzheimer's.
A growing body of evidence suggests humans subconsciously transmit emotions via smell. One study found that the smell of fear is contagious, and other work has shown that people can differentiate between the odors of nervous sweat and exercise sweat, and can be influenced by odor signals in choosing a mate. [7 Weirdest Medical Conditions]
Earlier this year, Croy's team published a study in PLoS One that found those born without an olfactory bulb, or the brain region needed for smell, were more socially insecure and likelier to be depressed than those with an intact sense of smell.
Soon afterward, the team was bombarded with questions from researchers wondering how the effects varied by gender. Several studies have shown that women perceive smell differently than men do.
So the team reanalyzed the findings by gender. While "smelling" men reported on average having nine sexual partners over their lifetime, anosmic men reported having three. For women, there was no difference in the number of lifetime partners, but they reported being more insecure with their partners than other women reported. (In the study, the average age was about 30 for both the 32 people with anosmia and the 36 people with a normal sense of smell.)
One possible explanation is that social signals are transmitted by the nose, and anosmiacs are missing those cues, making them feel more socially awkward, Croy said. As a result, men may not be confident enough to seek new partners.
"The men may have less exploratory behavior; they are not walking around like, 'Hey, I am the man!'" Croy wrote in an email.
For women, this social anxiety may translate into insecure relationships.
The idea that anosmiacs are missing subtle social cues isn't far-fetched, said Thomas Hummel, a study co-author and researcher at the Smell and Taste Clinic at the University of Dresden in Germany.
"It may well be that we are exchanging much more information through body odors than we are aware of," Hummel told LiveScience. "We are governed by our noses in some ways."
In general, those with anosmia are more insecure in daily life — they don't know whether they have bad breath, stinky armpits, are drinking rotten milk or living in fishy-smelling apartments. Constantly wondering whether you smell bad makes a person insecure, and that could spill over into the person's love life, Hummel said.
"People say they develop certain routines: So it's mandatory to shower twice daily, they clean their teeth three times a day," he said. "They have all these routines just to prevent themselves from becoming a smelly part of society."
Follow LiveScience on Twitter@livescience. We're also on Facebook &Google+.
Copyright 2012 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.