In order to become a doctor I had to study chemistry at school and biochemistry at university. I learned about how carbohydrates break down to give us energy. I learned how the carbon dioxide we breath out is converted to oxygen by plants with a little help from the sun. But what about the chemistry of love ?
You often hear people talk about "Chemistry" in relation to the right partner. They just knew they were meant to be together. Well scientists try to explain everything else on this earth and beyond in practical terms so what IS the chemistry of love?
Lets look at smell: We know that other animals do produce certain odours that attract mates ….these musky smells are known in my trade as Pheromones. Ooooo is there a joke in there ? Q. How do you make a pheromone (pharoah moan) ? A. Take away his mummy……..(*groan* …don’t worry I wont give up my day job).
When pigs, minks or skunks are feeling frisky they release these smells and the opposite sex are putty in their paws or hoofs. Now, you wouldn’t be the first person to suggest there’s a huge potential market if one could bottle the stuff for us. Trouble is, I think if humans splashed on "eau de pig" they’d be wanting a different kind of babe to respond. You see these pheromones seem to be rather species specific. Some experts claim to have isolated human formula.
So do human pheromones exist ? Well some people swear their partners smell turns them on. Others find "body odour" a huge repellent. Actually what we call BO is more than just natural odour. Unwashed body bits can attract unwanted bacteria and moist sweaty feet are especially irresistible to yeasts, which can multiply and produce that pungent sock-in-sports-shoe fragrance. However "good clean" sweat has been known to turn heads.
Some people argue that modern perfumes, soaps and deodorants only hide our natural sexy smells, proposing that we may even have trained ourselves out of being able to notice pheromones any more. So what does this mean for the cosmetic industry ? Should we turf all our body lotions, aftershaves and french parfums and go au naturale to find the perfect partner ? It probably isn’t really necessary to go that far, but it is interesting to note that perfumes do make an impact on people .
Have you ever been in a crowded room when some one walks past and following them is a waft of fragrance that you recognise. Instantly a picture of the person you remember wearing that perfume pops into your head. It could be a warm and fuzzy picture or it could be "the ex". Your past experiences with that fragrance may influence you in how you react to that person initially. So be careful not to let your nose rule your heart!
Ok, how critical is odour to a relationship? Well I would hope that the way you smell wouldn’t make or break a relationship but, like everything else, its important to be able to talk freely together on this topic. Remember the old soap ad "but darling, who’ll tell you if I don’t? ……*chorus* don’t wait to be told you need …….".So too, if your lover’s perfume brand gets up your nose, so to speak, try gently suggesting how you love the smell of their body when they jump out of the shower . Or "why spoil your own natural sexy smell with that bottled stuff". Or even go shopping together and pick a new one that you both like.
Also, have you noticed how some perfumes smell differently on various people? Many people like to use perfumes to reflect their mood or to give a certain impression, and, like clothing and make-up, that can be good fun and achieve a goal. However just like with clothes and make-up some people go over board. Unfortunately, its common that once you’ve applied the fragrance you can’t seem to smell it on yourself anymore so splish splosh splash and half a bottle later you’ve used the stuff as if the amount used was directly proportional to your sex appeal. I’m sorry to say it just isn’t the case. Your smell nerves (olfactory nerves, for the purists) sit high up in your nose and also can perceive pain with strong odours, like when you smell something really strong like ammonia ,and you turn away as a reflex . Be careful your "eau de what ever" doesn’t give your potential partner a pain in the face. Moderation is the name of the game.
I wonder if we should start retraining or enhancing our sense of smell and learn how to recognise the odours of love ? Should we let our pheromones shine? Or should we seek to find the perfect dab on sex smell. I’m not sure, but I do know is that a shower, freshly shampooed hair and clean clothes cant go very wrong in the eyes (or is that nose) of a new partner. Ok, off you go and sniff out those new lovers.