Olfaction

[Michael Scally MD]

Alves-Oliveira P, Carvalho J, Ferreira J, et al. Influence of Body Odors and Gender on Perceived Genital Arousal. Arch Sex Behav 2017. Influence of Body Odors and Gender on Perceived Genital Arousal

Olfaction is often linked to mating behavior in nonhumans. Additionally, studies in mating behavior have shown that women seem to be more affected by odor cues than men. However, the relationship between odor cues and sexual response-specifically, sexual arousal-has not been studied yet.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the exposure to human body odors (from individuals of the opposite gender) on perceived genital arousal, while these were presented concomitantly to sexually explicit video clips.

Eighty university students (40 women) rated their perceived genital arousal (perceived degree of erection/genital lubrication) in response to an audiovisual sexual stimulus, while simultaneously exposed to a body odor from an opposite-gender donor or no odor. Participants also rated each odor sample's (body odor and no odor) perceived pleasantness, intensity, and familiarity.

Findings indicated that odor condition had an effect on women's (but not men's) perceived genital arousal, with women showing higher levels of perceived genital arousal in the no odor condition. Also, results showed that women rated body odors as less pleasant than no odor. Notwithstanding, the odor ratings do not seem to explain the association between body odor and perceived genital arousal.

The current results support the hypothesis that women, rather than men, are sensitive to odors in the context of sexual response. The findings of this study have relevance for the understanding of human sexuality with respect to chemosensory communication.

 

[Michael Scally MD]

Olfaction Is Associated With Sexual Motivation and Satisfaction in Older Men and Women

Background - Sensory function declines with age and may impact sexual function in older adults. Indeed, the sense of smell plays a uniquely strong role in sexual motivation. Therefore, olfactory dysfunction in older adults may be intimately linked to changes in sexual desire and satisfaction.

Aim - To test whether impaired olfactory function is associated with decreased sexual activity and motivation in older adults.

Methods - Cross-sectional analysis of a nationally representative sample of community-dwelling older U.S. adults from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project.

Outcomes - 2 modalities of olfactory function were measured (sensitivity to n-butanol and odor identification) via validated methods (Sniffin’ Sticks). Respondents answered survey questions about frequency of sexual thoughts (motivation) and sexual activity, and satisfaction with their most recent sexual relationship. A wide range of demographic, health, and social information were also collected.

Results - Decreased olfactory function in older U.S. adults was associated with decreased sexual motivation (odds ratio 0.93, P = .03) and less emotional satisfaction with sex (odds ratio 0.89, P = .04), but not decreased frequency of sexual activity or physical pleasure, in analyses that were adjusted for age, gender, race, education, cognition, comorbidities, and depression.

Clinical Implications - Olfactory dysfunction may affect sexuality in older adults. Potentially treatable causes of sensory loss should be addressed by clinicians to improve quality of life.

Strengths & Limitations - These results rely on validated olfactory testing, detailed measures of sexual attitudes and behaviors, and extensive demographic, health, and social history in a nationally representative sample of older U.S. adults. Owing to the cross-sectional nature of these analyses, we cannot determine causality.

Conclusions - Olfactory dysfunction in older U.S. adults is associated with decreased sexual motivation and emotional satisfaction, potentially due to evolutionarily-conserved neurological links between olfaction and sexuality.

Siegel JK, Kung SY, Wroblewski KE, et al. Olfaction Is Associated With Sexual Motivation and Satisfaction in Older Men and Women. J Sex Med 2020. https://www.jsm.jsexmed.org/article/S1743-6095(20)31066-3/fulltext