What’s that smell...it’s fear!
THE smell of fear may actually exist, according to a bizarre new study that involved testing the air in cinemas while viewers watched horror movies and comparing it to samples taken during screenings of other genres of film.
Humans excrete scores of different chemicals through breath and the skin, which are believed to act as subliminal signals – indicating for example, sexual attraction and aggression – but also, it seems, fear.
Scientists tested the air in cinemas for 100 different known compounds while a variety of films, including comedies, thrillers, and romance movies, were screened.
Nearly 10,000 people viewed the films, including The Hunger Games, Dinosaurs 3D and Buddy, while the researchers collected the gas emissions through ceiling vents every 30 seconds.
Results show that the smells did change with the films and scenes.
A spike in a compound called isoprene – also commonly found in eucalyptus – was triggered by highly emotional or frightening scenes.
The researchers from The Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, and Gutenberg University, Germany, explained: ‘Isoprene is released by the body with greater muscle activity – probably because people move or fidget more when they are tense.’
SOUL crooner Lionel Richie, left, has revealed his tip for stress-free travel: he takes his own pillows wherever he goes. The 67-year-old Hello singer revealed: ‘I’m always on the road and always pack pillows like the ones in my bedroom in my luggage, because I need particular support for my neck and shoulders. I also carry the same scented candles and room fragrance that I have back at home in LA. ‘It’s designed to keep me calm and relaxed, but also makes me feel connected to home, so it’s good psychologically. It really treats homesickness.’ Lionel added: ‘I certainly struggled with excess earlier in my career. Thankfully, being the lead singer of The Commodores saved me because I had nowhere to hide. I had to deliver the goods the next day, so something had to give. If I hadn’t been centre stage, I wouldn’t be here now.’
WOULD you dare to slather your face in snake venom in an attempt to turn back the hands of time? American company Venin Royale have produced a serum made from pure king cobra venom, and they claim amino acids called peptides that it naturally contains will smooth wrinkles and improve skin firmness. Although applying it is pain-free, you might feel a sting in your wallet: it costs £74 for just 30ml. veninroyale.com
MORE than half of patients with a common digestive illness have been bullied for ‘following a faddy diet’ and ‘making a fuss’, research has found.
Coeliac disease is an adverse reaction to gluten, the protein found in wheat and pasta. There is even a tiny amount in beer. For sufferers, eating gluten can lead to distressing digestive symptoms and weight loss and increase the risk of cancer.
Avoiding foods containing gluten is the key to treatment. Yet sufferers say that they have felt judged or criticised because of their dietary needs. ‘An insistence that “just a little bit won’t hurt” may result in serious long-term health complications for those with coeliac disease,’ said Professor David Sanders, consultant gastroenterologist at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield.