Neuroscience Of Smell: Why Certain Scents Make You Attractive

Human attraction is often described as a phenomenon that is the most difficult to explain. It is said to be associated with a lot of factors such as attractiveness, personality or even voice. Neuroscience suggests another far more subtle factor: scent.

Unlike the other senses, such as vision or voice, smell bypasses the complex processing units of the brain and directly reaches the limbic system, which regulates emotions, motivation, memory, and desire. Because of this direct connection, we experience an emotional reaction upon smelling something.

Because of the absence of any logical processing, we do not get to decide how a smell makes us feel; we simply experience it. Hence, in the context of attraction, we immediately feel whether a scent arouses positive feels and arouses attraction.

Another reason why scent is related to attraction is its close connection with memory. Certain scents immediately transport us back to our childhood or evoke a certain positive memory. For example, the smell of coffee can trigger comfort, the smell of the ocean can throw us back to a feeling of being on holiday, or the smell of vanilla can evoke warmth.

The brain automatically links these feelings to the wearer, even if there is no direct correlation. Thus, certain scents can make people ‘drawn’ towards the wearer and make them feel as if they are attracted to the person and want to be near them.

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Research has shown that certain scent families trigger positive feelings. Musky scents resemble natural human warmth and closeness and evoke intimacy and sensuality, making the wearer feel more approachable. 

Gourmand notes such as vanilla, caramel, and coffee stimulate pleasure-related neural pathways associated with comfort and reward, whereas floral notes like jasmine, rose, and orange blossom have long been associated with fertility, vitality, and romance, while woody and amber notes tend to signal stability, confidence, and maturity.

This research has helped brands come up with fragrances that have similar top notes to market these products as having a higher ‘desirability’ factor upon wearing them.

Biological compatibility also plays a huge role in deciding what scents we are drawn to. Humans naturally have their own body odour, which is influenced by a ton of factors such as genetics, hormones, and immune system markers. 

From an evolutionary perspective, we are drawn to people who have a different immune system for healthy genetic diversity. Beyond that, each fragrance interacts differently with each individual based on their skin chemistry. This means that the same perfume can work well with someone’s chemistry and make them appealing, where as not work the same way for someone with a different body chemistry.

Another factor is consistency. The more we use a perfume, the more it becomes a part of our identity and our brain links all the memories with that particular scent. This is what we commonly call a ‘signature scent’. By repeatedly using a specific scent, we make it a part of our identity and strengthen emotional attachment. In romantic contexts, this can deepen bonding and longing and can evoke comfort, nostalgia, and desire, even in absence.

By understanding the neuroscience behind scents, we can learn to use fragrances more mindfully. We can communicate nonverbally by using fragrances that will make us be perceived a certain way. Using fragrances that work well with our skin’s natural chemistry can make us more appealing.

Using certain fragrance families can make people feel naturally drawn to us, and lastly, by repeating the same scent, we can form an emotional connection with people via this scent. And while other factors, such as appearance and communication, definitely play a role in attraction, scent determines how one is remembered.

Through invisible pathways in the brain, certain scents transform presence into intimacy, familiarity into desire, and moments into lasting impressions.

Authored by Vanesha Majithia, Founder of Luvih. Views expressed by the author are their own.