TIL: Smelling My Boyfriend's Shirt Reduces My Stress

ruth-girl (71) in steemstem • 7 years ago (edited)

Have you ever been through moments of panic and anxiety? Have you noticed how these feelings seem to cool down when you make it into your SO's arms with your head protectively hidden in their chest, sniffing their unique body scent? Well, science has now a reason for that!

Image from: pixabay.com

How the story goes

A recent study has concluded that the scent of our significant other can reduce cortisol levels, making us feel more relaxed. The research was conducted by lead author Marlise Hofer, at the University of British Columbia and was published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (you can get the whole paper here: psycnet.apa.org - unfortunately, it's not for free).

For the study, 96 opposite-sex couples were "recruited".

The men...

... were given a T-shirt to wear for 24 hours. The instructions were simple, wear the T-shirt and don't use anything that could spoil their natural smell, like deodorants, perfumes, food that mess with your body scent and smoking.

The women...

... were randomly given a T-shirt to smell (the piece of clothing was either unworn, worn by their SO or by a stranger). Then it was time to go through various stress tests including:a mock job interview and a mental math task. They were asked questions to evaluate their stress levels. Saliva samples were also given to measure their cortisol levels.

The results...

... showed that the less stressed were the women who had smelled their partner's T-shirt. They had lower stress levels both before and after the stress tests. The ones who were able to identify their partner's smell also had lower cortisol levels. This implies that when being aware of the smell, the effects on the body are greater. On the other hand, the women who smelled a T-shirt worn by a stranger showed higher cortisol levels during the stress tests.

Why test only women?

Because their sense of smell is more acute than in men.

What do the results teach us?

It is probably evolution and primitive survival instincts to blame. Women smelling a stranger's T-shirt had higher cortisol levels. Hofer says this might be explained by the fact that:

"From a young age, humans fear strangers, especially strange males, so it is possible that a strange male scent triggers the 'fight or flight' response that leads to elevated cortisol. This could happen without us being fully aware of it." [source]

"Our findings suggest that a partner's scent alone, even without their physical presence, can be a powerful tool to help reduce stress." [source]

Senior author and assistant professor in the UBC department of psychology, Frances Chen, said applying this simple trick in real life can help people cope with stressful situations:

"With globalization, people are increasingly traveling for work and moving to new cities. Our research suggests that something as simple as taking an article of clothing that was worn by your loved one could help lower stress levels when you're far from home." [source]

Image from: pixabay.com

Stress is always bad, right?

The answer is no! Stress is a physical response powered by our survival instinct. When we are in danger, stress comes up, it helps the body realise it is threatened and prepare for "fight or flight". A cocktail of chemicals and hormones like adrenaline, cortisol and norepinephrine are released to keep the body on alert and ready for action. Other "measures" the body takes is to suppress unnecessary functions and pump more blood to the muscles in order to react to stimuli from the surrounding environment (stressors when we refer to stress inducing factors). Sweating and fast breathing are also present. All this is really helpful when a real danger is in front of us.

When the "fight mode" is on, the body is ready to deal with the danger, showing aggresive behavior. In "flight mode" the body avoids the danger and runs away. There is also a third, "freeze mode" that expresses itself by an inability to react as the energy from the stimulus of danger gets "locked" into our nervous system.

Unfortunately, stress attacks even on a false alarm. When the body is stressed, the blood is directed to the muscles in charge for defending the body or running away, which means that we lose the ability to focus and think clearly. The results can be really harmful if stress persists for long periods. When cortisol levels are high, then blood pressure and sugar can also increase whereas the opposite happens to your libido.

Three types of stress

Acute stress: the most common type. It is short-term and is caused upon thinking of a pressing event of the recent past or the near future.
Episodic acute stress: when acute stress situations become too often. The person ends up irritable and tense on a regular basis, something that may lead to increased blood pressure and heart disease.
Chronic stress: when no escape from a stressful situation is possible or the person has given up on trying to cope with it. Chronic stress might have its roots in a traumatic experience earlier in a person't life and when not dealt with, it can lead to a final breakdown including heart attack, stroke, suicide and violent actions.

Effects on the body include:

sweating - pain in the back or chest - cramps or muscle spasms - erectile dysfunction and loss of libido - fainting - headache - heart disease - high blood pressure - - lower immunity against diseases - muscular aches - nervous twitches - pins and needles - sleeping difficulties - stomach upset [source]

Emotional reactions include:

anger - anxiety - burnout - concentration issues - depression - fatigue - a feeling of insecurity - forgetfulness - irritability - nail biting - restlessness - sadness [source]

Stress-related behaviors include:

food cravings and eating too much or too little - sudden angry outbursts - drug and alcohol abuse - higher tobacco consumption - social withdrawal - frequent crying - relationship problems [source]

Causes

They are really subjective as what might be stressful for me, for another individual may seem indifferent or unimportant. But examples of: financial problems - family issues - problems at work, act as stressors.

How can I fight it?

Through proper medication (only when it is recommended by your doctor) and management techniques, stress that renders you dysfunctional in your everyday life can be coped with. Taking time for yourself, exercising and trying out breathing techniques are some of the best and harmless methods to fight it or you can follow...

... the main idea of the study:

A loved person's smell can help you calm down when feeling stressed, even when the specific person is not physically present. So, the next time you feel all sweaty and agitated because you missed an important deadline or got stuck in traffic and arrived late at work, make sure you carry a piece of your partner's clothing to sniff on.

Image from: pexels.com

And a dark twist

If you haven't watched it, I recommend The Perfume (even though I think the book must be better than the silver screen version). Just don't get any crazy ideas after it...