It’s often said that animals can smell fear. But can humans? Can we catch a whiff of someone’s scent or musk, and tell they’re afraid from that alone?
The simple answer is no, we can’t. Other species can, particularly those like dogs and others that rely far more on their sense of smell than we do.
We humans, though, seem to have evolved away from this ability.
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The brain region responsible for detecting pheromones, the chemical messengers released into the air to let others know how we’re feeling (also known as kairomones when they’re from another species), appears to be non-functional in humans. It’s sort of a neurological appendix.
But that doesn’t mean we can’t smell fear at all.
Studies have shown that if women inhale sweat produced by men who are experiencing fear, they become more susceptible and sensitive to fear too.
In light of this, it may be tempting to immediately exclaim, ‘So humans can smell fear!’ But there are some caveats.
One is that women seem more sensitive to the emotional odours given off by men, than any other gender variation.
Another is that the subjects didn’t inhale and immediately say: ‘This person is afraid!’ Rather, they ended up displaying a low-level fear reaction themselves.
So ‘smelling fear’ happens at a more subconscious level. It’s like the difference between someone buying something from you with cash, in person, and having a sum directly transferred to your bank account electronically.
So, humans can smell fear, but only to a limited degree, and in certain situations. And it either smells like nothing (because we don’t consciously realise we’re smelling it) or it smells
like sweat.
This article is an answer to the question (asked by Edward Cox, Edinburgh) 'Can you smell fear?'
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