A PARTNER’S SCENT MAY OFFER STRESS RELIEF

Stressed over exams? Worried about an upcoming interview? Simply smelling your partner could ease the nerves, according to a new study.

Researchers at the University of British Columbia found women who smell their partner’s T-shirt before experiencing a stressful situation reported lower levels of stress than women who sniffed a stranger’s shirt.

Stress was measured using questionnaires as well as cortisol levels — a hormone released when your body is under stress. Researchers found women who picked up the scent of a stranger had elevated levels of cortisol, which could be an evolutionary response. “We know that, from a young age, humans fear strangers and that’s especially true of strange males," said PhD student and lead author Marlise Hofer. "So it’s possible that the smell of a strange male triggers the fight or flight response and that leads to elevated cortisol levels."

Based on this finding, it’s expected that women who whiffed their partner’s shirt would have lower levels of cortisol, but surprisingly this wasn’t the case. In an attempt to figure out why, the team looked at the 63 per cent of women who smelled their partner’s shirt and knew it — excluding those who didn’t recognize their partner’s scent. Within this inclusive group, cortisol levels were significantly lower. This raises the question of whether stress relief has to do with actual scent exposure, or if it relies on belief about scent exposure. “We’re wondering to what degree (these findings) are due to the mental representation of ‘this is my partner,’ versus there being some unconscious association with safety that comes from smelling your partner’s scent," said Hofer. It’s well documented that people feel calmer when their loved ones are around, but there’s little evidence to show that just the smell of someone can ease your nerves. From a practical standpoint, Hofer says the results from this study could help people manage stress in the future.

“Often we’re travelling for work or we go to an interview alone, and so in these situations we could potentially bring something like a loved one’s scarf and that could help to reduce stress," she said. The study included 96 heterosexual couples. Women were given five minutes to prepare for an interview, and were then asked a series of complicated math questions. Their stress levels were monitored before, during, and immediately after this stress procedure. Despite only heterosexual partners being included, Hofer believes the implications of this study are much broader. “I predict that (these results) have something to do with social support more broadly, not specific to a partner," she said. "Even if you know your friend’s scent, maybe a roommate that has a calming presence, and or even a homosexual romantic partner, we would expect to see the same thing.” In the future, Hofer and her team plan to study other smelly connections as well. Studies have shown that babies are calmed by the scent of their mother’s breast milk, and Hofer wonders if toddlers might respond to smell as well.

“There isn’t much research beyond infants and their mothers (with respect to smell), and I’d like to look at children during times where they’re separated from their parents for the first time — maybe when they go to daycare or when they start sleeping in their own bedroom,” she said. “It’ll be interesting to see if a scent cue can help with separation anxiety.”

WE KNOW THAT, FROM A YOUNG AGE, HUMANS FEAR STRANGERS.