Importance of Scent

[Gator]

Aloe wrote in Natural's thread:

I must caution you (and everyone else) against confusing skype chemistry with real life chemistry though. I had chemistry with someone on skype and then no chemistry whatsoever in real life. I think the sense of smell plays a big role in real life chemistry, so just a word of caution

Remarkable!  Is the importance of "scent" something that differentiates men and women?   

Scent has little influence on me, other than I enjoy the "fresh and natural"  of just after a shower before toweling dry.  Yet, I also like fresh sweat.  I abhor too much perfume as if the woman is trying to hide something.

What scents turn RW on?  Off?  I recall a line from a very old movie in which the young woman was turned on because her man's hair smelled like raisins.

[The Natural]

Aloe wrote in Natural's thread:

Remarkable!  Is the importance of "scent" something that differentiates men and women?   

Scent has little influence on me, other than I enjoy the "fresh and natural"  of just after a shower before toweling dry.  Yet, I also like fresh sweat.  I abhor too much perfume as if the woman is trying to hide something.

What scents turn RW on?  Off?  I recall a line from a very old movie in which the young woman was turned on because her man's hair smelled like raisins.

I believe the smell of a woman plays an important role in the attraction. I'm not talking perfume or BO, but I do notice if I like the natural scent of a woman or not.

It might also be that people who have never thought about this also are affected by it, perhaps without realizing it.

[Aloe]

I believe, same as The Natural, that everyone is affected by how the other person smells naturally (not perfume or anything) and that it is a big part of chemistry I have never in my life been attracted to someone whose smell i didn't like

Sweat smells revolting, except your own, same as other substances your body produces You aren't revolted as bad by your own, but by others for sure. Or are you saying you actually like the smell of sweat on other people?

[Gator]

 Or are you saying you actually like the smell of sweat on other people?

Fresh sweat from a clean body.  I consider sweat part of someone's essence.  It is natural and not offensive.  Then again, one of my most passionate memories was making love in warm mud along a clear creek in a pine forest.   Will never forget it.  And the woman loved it - it was her idea.


More elaboration on sweat.  From men I didn't mind it when playing competitive squash on a confined court, yet I didn't play the game to smell sweat.  Before this goes too far I don't like golden showers, giving or receiving.

[Daveman]

I believe, same as The Natural, that everyone is affected by how the other person smells naturally (not perfume or anything) and that it is a big part of chemistry I have never in my life been attracted to someone whose smell i didn't like

Sweat smells revolting, except your own, same as other substances your body produces You aren't revolted as bad by your own, but by others for sure. Or are you saying you actually like the smell of sweat on other people?

Aren't you writing about two separate aspects of scent - a natural scent vs the repugnant aroma of perspiration?  scent is also affected by diet.

So, the man who repulsed you, was it because of an undesirable natural scent after a shower? or the guy just repulsively perspired too much? 

[Gator]

It might also be that people who have never thought about this also are affected by it, perhaps without realizing it.

A malodor would of course repulse me, yet I have never recalled a scent repelling me.   So maybe my snout is not so keen.   I don't realize it if I am indeed affected.  

A RW with whom I was corresponding once wrote that she was going to send me her panties with her scent.  That did not turn me on.  It made me laugh, however.

[SANDRO43]

A RW with whom I was corresponding once wrote that she was going to send me her panties with her scent.  That did not turn me on.  It made me laugh, however.

IIRC, it was the Japanese who started the fad of selling unwashed teenage girls' panties in sex shops many years ago - goes to show how psychotic they are over there .

[Lily]

Great topic 

Yes, smell has indeed a big influence on women, more significantly than it has on men. Women's natural 'radars' have a more complicated and sensitive structure. It is a womanly thing to use all her senses in order to approve or disapprove something.

I'd agree with those who believe that women like odors of cleanness and freshness, and are naturally repulsed by any unhealthy odors that may be associated with dirt or death. That basically signals like, ' here is something going wrong' and makes a woman want to stay away from the source.

There is definitely something to do with her need to chose a genetically strong partner. Smell is, to a certain extent, a sign of genes quality. That's why it should be correct to believe that odor of fresh male sweat should be an attractant for a female. At the same time, what we mostly smell on people, is rather a result of the contact of human sweat with air, therefore this type of smell is repulsive, not attractive

[Shostakovich]

Yes, smell has indeed a big influence on women, more significantly than it has on men. Women's natural 'radars' have a more complicated and sensitive structure. It is a womanly thing to use all her senses in order to approve or disapprove something.

This is also what I've read: a synopsizes is given in the link below:

http://www.livescience.com/7023-rules-attraction-game-love.html

But for men too, the nose does have it's role to play.  Bad digestion -- that is where all the problems start, one stinks from it.

And what is the attitude from the FSU ladies regarding cologne?  Preferences?

[erudite]

I have read that the senses of "taste" and "smell" have the longest and most vivid retention of any of our senses.  I believe this is certainly accurate for me.  Sometimes I will smell something in the air and it will bring back long forgotten memories automatically.

As for me the natural scent of a woman's smell is best indicated right behind her ears and on the nape of her neck.  Her hair in the fresh air or cold winter air is another highly erogeneous smell for me.  A woman has a certain scent as an individual and if you like it, try nuzzling behind her ears or kissing her on the nape of her neck.  Fireworks are usually a given in such a situation. 

[Shostakovich]

I have read that the senses of "taste" and "smell" have the longest and most vivid retention of any of our senses. 

Also true how smell and memory are linked, though I'd say, especially after having to contend with a parent with alzhiemers, that, most definitely, musical memory is the strongest. 

[TwoBitBandit]

One of the things that helped me understand women was reading about evolutionary biology.  There's an excellent book called "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Red-Queen-Evolution-Human-Nature/dp/0140245480">The Red Queen</a>" which discusses scent in some detail.

The idea is that people of dissimilar backgrounds/ethnicities tend to have children with better disease immunity.  (The reasons for this are discussed in detail in this book.)  One of the ways for a woman to identify a man with a dissimilar gene pool is by scent... which is why women are attracted to scent.

The Red Queen is a fascinating read... I recommend it...

[Lily]

And what is the attitude from the FSU ladies regarding cologne?  Preferences?

This is likely to be individual taste. However, may I suggest that a common preference would be a very subtle, barely distinguishable scent of cologne. And of course no cologne on unwashed body 

[Gator]

The idea is that people of dissimilar backgrounds/ethnicities tend to have children with better disease immunity....

This is readily observed in dogs, as Heinz 57 dogs seem healthier than purebreds; the latter tend to exhibit what would otherwise be recessive genes (as per  Mendel's work in the 19th C).

One of the ways for a woman to identify a man with a dissimilar gene pool is by scent... which is why women are attracted to scent.

Oddly, as a child I recall my mother attempting to breed our female collie dog to a champion stud.  Our collie would avoid the stud, yet backed up to the fence to let a neighbor's beagle have a go (physically impossible but that is who our collie preferred).  Soon after that the "word" got out and we had over 10 male dogs hanging around the house.

[Gator]

I am not trying to pry, yet is the natural scent of a male something that is distinguishable only after a shower?  During the day a man's scent seemingly would be a mixture of external factors (after shave lotion, hair tonioc if any, physical activity, weather, ...).  We know that RW have a propensity for showers prior to sex.

I feel inadequate in not having a keen sense of smell, or maybe I am just oblivious.

[SANDRO43]

I have read that the senses of "taste" and "smell" have the longest and most vivid retention of any of our senses.  I believe this is certainly accurate for me.  Sometimes I will smell something in the air and it will bring back long forgotten memories automatically.

http://www.russianwomendiscussion.com/index.php?topic=6604.msg120236#msg120236

[dbneeley]

There is no question that most women have far more sensitive noses than most men--and that is certainly true in our house.

Before I lost it to a power outage, I was composing a post regarding the person who inquired about "cologne."

If you are speaking about a scent for yourself, then that is a personal issue as to what you may prefer as well as how a particular scent mixes with your own body chemistry--everyone is different in that regard. Personally, if you have any question about this you should enlist one or more ladies to help you select a scent that is flattering for you...perhaps a relative, friend, or the wife of a friend or colleague.

As for scents for the ladies--that is an incredibly personal thing for most of them. They will have definite preferences and, again, their own chemistry will affect the resulting scent when wearing it. If you take a lady perfume without knowing her preferences, it's simply a crap shoot--it can be extremely well received or it can fall flat. If in your communication you find the name of something she likes, it is often quite simple to find one she has not tried but has similar scent notes that she would probably like very much.

In our case, I buy my wife a good fragrance at least once a year to expand her collection--but I would not have the temerity to do so without consulting her first to determine her preferences.

I also suggest sticking with either the straight perfume or a single step down, the "eau de parfum"--the lesser mixtures simply don't last as long when applied and work out to be a false economy in most cases.

If you want a good discount perfume source, you might check with Natalee at www.travyperfumes.com. I've had excellent luck with them (once she realized I was serious after my email inquiry from Ukraine!). She also tends to have among the lowest prices anywhere for name brand lines for both men and women--although there are a few that she cannot get, but that is the same with all the other discounters, too. Although I will get nothing from it other than good will, feel free to mention my name if you wish.

By the way, the best lines of fragrances are more expensive here than they are in the U.S.

David

[JR]

Fresh and clean......

[vwrw]

yet is the natural scent of a male something that is distinguishable only after a shower? 

The natural scent of a male is well distinguishable after a shower, non-application of any scent containing substances, and intensive physical activity. After these three requirements are met, women are able to perceive some of men to be pleasantly smelling (at least those who made up the sample of a study could do it).
The interesting fact is that if a woman considers a man to be well smelling, the likelihood of them having a healthy baby together  is very high unless a human/doctor's mistake occurs (it is a  finding of study). I do not think it would be an overstatement to say that whether people will have a “knocking out” chemistry to great degree (but not entirely) depends on the likelihood of them having a healthy baby together if their genes are combined . 

[SFandEE]

If you are speaking about a scent for yourself, then that is a personal issue as to what you may prefer as well as how a particular scent mixes with your own body chemistry--everyone is different in that regard. Personally, if you have any question about this you should enlist one or more ladies to help you select a scent that is flattering for you...perhaps a relative, friend, or the wife of a friend or colleague.


David

American TV would have me believe that women cannot resist Axe.  Seems to be reasonably priced too!!!

[dogspot]

American TV would have me believe that women cannot resist Axe.  Seems to be reasonably priced too!!!

Kevin believes in Axe (or the dollar store alternative):

 [youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QByhNuxscM8[/youtube]

[Vaughn]

I agree with JR - fresh and clean. Like Gator, my sense of smell is not keen - unless there's
barbeque smoking nearby. Or obvious stench like I witnessed in West Berlin packed subway
cars at late afternoon rush hour in summer.

Just as an aside, my sister-in-law Venera, the subject of the Sisterly Visit thread, was quite
impressed with an American product called Certain-Dri. She eventually found a way to order
cases of it for the small retail section of her spa/salon. It's become very popular there.

[ML]

As for me the natural scent of a woman's smell is best indicated right behind her ears and on the nape of her neck. 

Any other guys here notice what you can smell and taste right in the woman's ear at a special time of month?

[Muzh]

American TV would have me believe that women cannot resist Axe.  Seems to be reasonably priced too!!!

My son wears that sh!t too. I ask him to apply it outside the house.

[mies]

I have noticed that i am most attracted to people (men and women) whose scent I cannot sense. Some "fragrance guru" taught me that the right perfume should be picked by the rule "I do not sense it as I wear it". Otherwise it will irritate the person and will create discomfort. I guess for me it works same way with perfumes and people. If I don't feel the scent - we are indeed compatible, if I feel any scent - sooner or later it starts annoying me.

as for smell bringing memories - I have my personal "collection of smells", with memories for each city/town/region/country I ever visited. I surely remember places by the way they smell. I also often pick garments by the way fabric smells.