A new study in the American Journal of Political Science reveals that people find the smell of others with similar political opinions to be attractive, suggesting that one of the reasons why so many spouses share similar political views is because they were initially and subconsciously attracted to each other’s body odor. During the study, 146 participants rated the attractiveness of the body odor of unknown strong liberals and strong conservatives, without ever seeing the individuals whose smells they were evaluating….
Blah, blah, blah. Let us stop here and take our hands out of the bag of Hot N Spicy Nachos. Consider what you just read. Unless the researchers of the Journal of Political Science were really bored with their usual research and have decided, instead, to screw with us, the underlying message here is that one’s political beliefs shape one’s body odor. OR, even more startling, that one’s body odor determines which political beliefs one will ultimately have. Either way, this news turns on its head everything we have commonly believed about political beliefs and the nature of attraction.
In other words, you think you are with your partner because he/she is warm, loving, honest, generous, and/or has a great sense of humor. You can throw all that out the window. You are with that person because he/she smells like a liberal Democrat. Or a supply-side Republican. Or a member of the Independence Party of Minnesota. Or even a Libertarian. And, even more intriguing, if you are that liberal Democrat (or whatever other political affiliation you identify with), you are that simply because your body scent chemistry has propelled you in that direction.
With all due respect to Match.com and eHarmony, if we all accepted this as gospel, we would have no need to fill out tedious questionnaires about our education, hobbies and sexual play preferences. We could cut to the chase. Who cares about being paired with someone who also takes long walks in the woods, spends time languishing in front of a fire, enjoys fine wine, and would consider group sex. Send in an odor strip and be paired with those whose strips match your own. Then you can be matched with a politically compatible partner who you can participate in all those activities with.
The downside of the research is that people could not predict the political ideology of others merely by smelling them. If they could, we’d all be walking around sniffing armpits. For the time being, until new research finds a way to bypass conventional channels, we have to continue wasting our time believing that we have some kind of choice in who we end up with.
You can now return to your Hot N Spicy Nachos.
katecrimmins
September 25, 2014
But if you really think about it, dogs smell butts and that tells them if it’s friend or foe. Given the choice, I prefer smelling armpits to butts. Although if I smelled either, I doubt if I’d want to marry the person.
Life in the Boomer Lane
September 26, 2014
I hadn’t thought of the dog butt-sniffing thing. It’s enough to make one want to stay celibate.
janeydoe57
September 25, 2014
Gives new meaning to all those ads for pheromones in the back of magazines doesn’t it? 😉
Life in the Boomer Lane
October 3, 2014
I didn’t think of that. It sure does.
NN Bartley
September 25, 2014
This amuses and depresses me. Amuse because well…look at that picture. And who thinks to study these things? and depresses because I have an AWFUL sense of smell and maybe I’m with the wrong person because of that? Or maybe I have just chosen the wrong perfume as my signature scent? What if I chose a staunch right wing white Republican perfume when I really wanted a more laid back Dem appeal?
O dear.
Life in the Boomer Lane
September 26, 2014
Oh my, I have allergies and my sense of smell has always been way off. This makes me reassess my entire life.
Richard E. Berg
September 25, 2014
No wonder I have such difficulty talking with conservatives. I’d better use some of that hot ‘n spicy nacho scent to camouflage my liberal political leanings.
Life in the Boomer Lane
October 3, 2014
Oh my. I have a story about nacho Doritos. Still gives me nightmares.
btg5885
September 25, 2014
Renee, where or where did you find this picture? This study does not pass the “smell test” and I find it a load of something a horse might pass. A Journal for Political Science may not be the best group to sanction such a study, so its veracity should be questioned. But, what do I know – I have been a Democrat, Republican and now an Independent in my life, so I guess my body odor must have changed each time. Thanks for sharing, BTG
Life in the Boomer Lane
September 26, 2014
When I have nothing to write about, I can always find some inane research to trash, There is a never-ending supply, things like “People who have no facial expression have fewer friends.” Seriously. The photo is complements of Google.
menomama3
September 25, 2014
Just to be totally off the wall (well, not totally because the whole idea is wall-less) when I look at the picture I can’t help wondering where the sniffer’s other hand is. Okay, that was low. But so is the study.
Life in the Boomer Lane
September 26, 2014
Your mind is in the gutter. I like that.
mybrightspots
September 25, 2014
I think this research falls into the scope of this article: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/12/13/the-truth-wears-off
It talks about scientific findings and how their results often fade over time. In other words, sometimes the first result is an anomaly but then only supporting follow-on studies get published because it’s the exciting new ideas and ones that disprove them tend to get ignored… until enough time has passed that the disproving experiments are the interesting ones and then they get published… Very interesting article.
Besides, my MIL is a rabid Democrat happily married to an even more rabid Republican/Libertarian. My mom is in a similar (but much milder extremes) relationship.
Life in the Boomer Lane
September 26, 2014
It doesn’t surprise me. A lot of research comes up with opposite results. That’s what makes it great fodder for blog writing. It certainly isn’t good for anything else.
wordsfromanneli
September 25, 2014
I clicked Like, but I didn’t mean it. Not the photo anyway. 😉
Life in the Boomer Lane
September 26, 2014
🙂 (because I don’t know how to do emoticons)
mamalinda1905
September 25, 2014
This made me laugh, and today I really needed to laugh. Thank you!!
Life in the Boomer Lane
October 3, 2014
You are quite welcome, Linda. I live to make others laugh.
chlost
September 25, 2014
My husband was a Republlican until he married me and “saw the light”. As far as I know, he still smelled the same, though. Good on some days, and “Whew!” on others.
Life in the Boomer Lane
September 26, 2014
Funny!
Elyse
September 25, 2014
Wouldn’t you hate to explain your research proposal to the board?
Life in the Boomer Lane
September 26, 2014
Right. And the next question is: board of what? What kind of company even wants research like that? A politically-scented deodorant company?
ermigal
September 25, 2014
Where in the name of God did you find that picture? How do you make yourself go to work each morning if it’s eight hours of sniffing armpits? Instinctively, I believe the scientific basis of this, but I submit that men have the power to change their pheromone smells over the years from “sexy, dynamic and interested only in you, baby” to “the cat threw up in the basement again.” Fun post, thanks! 🙂
Life in the Boomer Lane
September 26, 2014
Google is a wealth of inane photos. Oh boy, Now Husband does currently have the “cat threw up in the basement again” pheromones. Too funny.
madonnavalentine
September 26, 2014
But can you change your body odour by changing your political beliefs? What if your beliefs change regularly? Do the furry gnomes keep up? These are all questions that require more research.
Life in the Boomer Lane
October 3, 2014
Yes, the research can be endless. Especially the part about the gnomes. Thanks for reading!
Deborah Drucker
September 27, 2014
These Political Journal people can write this stuff and still get paid, pretty good. How come if they smell some body odor not attached to a person they can tell if they are Liberal or Conservative but when they smell the live people can they can’t? And I remember from many years ago reading about how we are attracted to each other in part by our smell, I think it was the book “The Naked Ape.” Ever read it?
Life in the Boomer Lane
September 27, 2014
Great observation. Gosh, we do do away with political polls. Just walk around sniffing.
Deborah Drucker
September 27, 2014
And the photo is funny! Deodorant testers??
Life in the Boomer Lane
September 27, 2014
I can’t even remember what the photo was supposed to be showing.