Researchers from the University of Utrecht (Netherlands) decided to check whether the smell serve us as a means of communication, will he understand what emotions are owned by another person.
experiment consisted in the fact that several men were asked to watch a video, which caused fear or disgust;of the audience at the same time we collected the pot.The experimental conditions were strict: two days before his volunteers were instructed to stop smoking, exercise, avoid fragrant with spices, food and drink.At this time they received a special, odorless personal hygiene.
obtained samples of smell were tested on women, which also serves as a VideoTesT collected and sniffed.The researchers observed the facial expressions of women, and when they smelled "terrible" sweat, they have to face the corresponding reaction manifested: his eyes widened and his breathing became deeper.When it came to their sense of smell the aroma of sweat from "disgusting" emotional content, the ladies turned up their noses and squinting.
explain these reactions is simple.When a person (or animal) smells danger, he is trying to get as much information about what surrounds him: because he will soon notice a predator.Therefore, the eyes open wider, and breathing becomes deeper.If we feel that something nasty, then tried to make contact with him to a minimum: closes his eyes and nose to a potentially dangerous substances have not hurt us.And, as it turned out, the relevant information can bear not only the source of odor, but the smell of another individual, who caught it first.That is, we, like animals, have retained the ability to perceive social cues by using the sense of smell.However, we do still do not realize: According to scientists, women who smelled terrible and nasty smells, not be aware in their emotional content, and responses mimic reactions were purely reflex.
And yet, if the smell really carry information about our emotional state, you can understand why we suddenly a bad mood, if we're going hot evening in a crowded bus: even if we are fine, most of the others remembers the last working dayapparently, with undisguised disgust.
Cyril Stasevich
Articles Source: compulenta.ru
