Attraction To Natural Body Odor: Sweat, Semen, Vagina

Pop culture pushes this messaging too, from Twilight’s Edward being overpowered by Bella’s scent in science class to Call Me By Your Name’s Elio sniffing Oliver’s sweaty swim shorts and Ross giving away his feelings for Rachel by sniffing her hair in Friends. This attraction to naturally occurring smells is often spoken about in the context of pheromones (unique chemicals that the body secretes to promote a reaction from an individual of the same species). In mammals, these chemicals are present in bodily fluids like sweat and semen and can signal certain information to others e.g. “I want to breed.”