Do I Stink?

Whether you’ve caught an odd whiff during a meeting, forgotten to brush your teeth before running out the door or stopped to run an errand after hitting the gym, we know what it feels like to be self-conscious of our odor. But humans smell! Each and everyone one of us comes with our own unique set of smells, scents and, let’s be honest, stank.

Odor can attract, bond or even prevent any regrettable dalliances with distant relatives, so why are we so fearful of being deemed “smelly.”

In this episode, we dig into the science behind body odor, what it does for our species and how our natural musk went from being a part of our everyday life to something that can earn you a visit from HR. All to get to the bottom of the rude question we’ve all asked before: “Do I stink??”

That’s what you’re in for today, on Impolite Society.

Email us your impolite questions at rude@impolitesocietypodcast.com and visit our website for info about the show and your hosts Laura and Rachel.

Sources:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/10668892_Lower_olfactory_threshold_during_the_ovulatory_phase_of_the_menstrual_cycle

https://www.romper.com/p/how-do-babies-know-their-mothers-scent-experts-explain-18369228

https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn2705-close-family-smells-worse-than-a-stranger/ 

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/07/30/1022546464/why-sweat-is-a-human-superpower 

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/bering-in-mind/armpit-psychology-the-science-of-body-odor-perception/

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/18081/body-odor-through-ages-brief-history-deodorant

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-advertisers-convinced-americans-they-smelled-bad-12552404/