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Related Experiment Videos

Olfactory cues modulate facial attractiveness.

M Luisa Demattè1, Robert Osterbauer, Charles Spence

  • 1Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, OX1 3UD, Oxford, UK. dematte@form.unitn.it

Chemical Senses
|May 18, 2007
PubMed
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Unpleasant odors significantly decrease ratings of male facial attractiveness. This effect occurred regardless of whether the odors were body-related or not, demonstrating a cross-modal influence of smell on visual perception.

Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Sensory Science
  • Olfactory Perception

Background:

  • Facial attractiveness judgments are typically considered a visual process.
  • The influence of other sensory modalities, such as olfaction, on these judgments is less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of olfactory cues on the perception of facial attractiveness.
  • To determine if pleasant or unpleasant odors differentially affect attractiveness ratings.

Main Methods:

  • Participants rated male facial attractiveness using a visual scale.
  • Faces were presented with either clean air or one of four odors (two pleasant, two unpleasant).
  • A custom-built olfactometer controlled odor delivery.

Main Results:

Related Experiment Videos

  • Male faces were rated as significantly less attractive when presented with unpleasant odors compared to pleasant odors or clean air.
  • No significant difference in attractiveness ratings was found between pleasant odors and clean air conditions.
  • The effect of odor unpleasantness was independent of whether the odor was body-relevant.

Conclusions:

  • Unpleasant olfactory stimuli can negatively influence visual judgments of facial attractiveness.
  • This demonstrates a cross-modal interaction where smell impacts visual perception.
  • The findings suggest a general effect of negative olfactory valence on attractiveness perception, irrespective of odor source.