A viral trend is reportedly encouraging GEN Z Males to stop showering or putting on perfume before a date to attract the other sex with natural body odour. The trend is called “pheromone-maxxing” and is experimenting with whether natural body odour can heighten attraction. Several studies and professionals debunk the claims.
The trend, which many are calling a mindless and temporary social media experiment, is trying to prove that the natural secretion of pheromones has more luck in attracting potential partners. While pheromones definitely can be detected by the olfactory senses, continuous exposure to artificial smells may reduce the chance of natural detection in humans. This trend is one that certainly works with animals like dogs, cats, lemurs, bees and moths, among many others. However, whether purposefully stinking it out to attract partners is a foolproof plan is yet to be seen. Studies have shown that odour perception can influence memory and learning.
What are Pheromones and How do They Work?
Pheromones are basically chemicals released by the body to attract and create a response in the same species, particularly for mating or attraction in animals. This is natural in insects, plants, and even animals. While there is much evidence of this behaviour among animals and plants, it is yet to be proven in human interactions. Studies do suggest that natural human smells do exist, but identification and conclusive evidence have failed to prove whether it is as effective as in the animal kingdom.
The Psychology Behind Not Bathing
The inability to take a bath or feel motivated enough to do so is usually associated with mental health struggles, particularly stress, depression, panic and anxiety attacks. An individual who is overworked may also find it difficult to take a bath in specific cases. While in India, bathing during the day is normalised, many cultures and people also prefer to bathe before going to sleep to wash away dirt and pollutants accumulated over the day. However, not bathing or purposely stinking is associated with poor hygiene and mental health.
The Larger Problem of the Trend
The problem here is not whether a person is choosing to skip a bath, but rather the idea that purposely creating a negative body odour will attract partners towards them. While several studies have found that people do find sweat induced by sports or physical activity attractive, the thought of purposely bearing negative scents as an attraction technique could be more repulsive than endearing.
It also hints at a psychological laziness in adopting basic hygiene to create a good impression. Studies have found that pleasant smells encourage positive moods, memories and interactions as opposed to strong, displeasing smells. There are more chances of a person remembering someone who smelled good as a positive memory and associating someone with a negative scent with the forgettable part of the memory. Psychology has also found that a negative smell can trigger past trauma and painful memories, which can cause an absolute repulsion in the other person.
The Conclusion to this viral trend
While several people have admitted to being able to smell the natural scent of another person, this Gen Z trend seems disturbing and lazy. An attempt to garner trends rather than build on a natural process. The negative outcomes of this trend may cause low self-esteem and societal anxiety in those who are not immune to social scrutiny and critique.
It can also create a negative reputation for the person who is experimenting. A person who smells good will be remembered longer, even if the meeting does not go as planned. Bad smells are more likely to ruin any further contact with the person, allowing them to question your hygiene and lifestyle choices. It would be best to maintain basic hygiene practices and allow that to be the trend that goes viral, as most of our elders before us have done for generations.
References +
- Young men are skipping showers before dates in viral pheromone-maxxing trend- News 18 https://www.news18.com/amp/viral/gen-z-men-are-skipping-showers-before-dates-in-viral-pheromone-maxxing-trend-but-does-it-work-ws-l-10300320.html?utm_campaign=fullarticle&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=inshorts
- The Connections between smell, memory and health- Harvard Medicine https://magazine.hms.harvard.edu/articles/connections-between-smell-memory-and-health
- Gen Z Men Are Skipping Showers Before Dates in Viral Pheromone Maxxing Trend- News1 https://www.news18.com/amp/viral/gen-z-men-are-skipping-showers-before-dates-in-viral-pheromone-maxxing-trend-but-does-it-work-ws-l-10300320.html?utm_campaign=fullarticle&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=inshorts
- The Psychology of Smell https://stenchsoap.com/blogs/blog/the-psychology-of-smell-how-your-scent-affects-first-impressions#:~:text=Smelling%20great%20doesn’t%20just%20make,with%20a%20lasting%2C%20positive%20impression.
