Maybe it’s the influence of Madison Avenue. Whatever the reason, modern society simply does not tolerate sweaty arm pits. Since 1888, when Mum deodorant was first invented, many new and increasingly effective weapons have been called up to duty in the daily battle against body odor.

Women are especially sensitive about body odor and the personal care product manufacturers know this. There are specialized deodorants for nearly everything. Body odor of any kind is socially unacceptable; one reason that a less fastidious male partner usually endures a good deal of encouragement in personal hygiene habits from the woman in his life.

Strangely, and in contrast to this obsession, research says that women’s moods are improved when they are exposed to male sweat. UC Berkeley researchers, Noam Sobel and Claire Wyart conducted experiments in which women sniffed bottles containing androstadienone, a component in male sweat.

Compared to their response when sniffing a control odor (yeast), the women who sniffed androstadienone reported an improved mood and significantly higher sexual arousal, while their physiological response, including blood pressure, heart rate and breathing, also increased. This was consistent with previous studies.

Of course, the women were not told they were sniffing male sweat. There is such a taboo on bodily odors that one wonders how differently the women would have responded to the scent had they been told its origin.

Read the details of the study:
Male sweat boosts women’s hormone levels