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There seems little doubt that there is a strong connection between our sense of smell and the way we feel. In fact the industry of aromatherapy is based in part on this principle, using fragrant oils to supposedly reduce pain and anxiety, enhance energy or even increase short-term memory. But how do certain smells and the feelings they evoke relate to sex appeal and can the latest designer aftershave really make you more attractive to the opposite sex? Many adverts would have us believe that wearing the latest designer men's fragrance or aftershave will instantly turn any man into an irresistible babe magnet as they show images of men seemingly draped in stunning young models. Of course perfumes aren't the only products promoted on their supposed sex appeal but besides perhaps underwear, is there anything else quite as blatant? Even the names of some women's perfumes hint at the affect wearing them will have on others - Irresistible, 212 Sexy, Captivating, Allure. You may however be surprised to find that this is not just marketing hype and that there may in fact be an element of truth buried in their somewhere. Put aside for a moment the whole pheromone and body chemistry side of human attraction (pheromone-based fragrances are another subject altogether), and consider that sex appeal is as much about behavior and body language as anything else, maybe even more so. It therefore stands to reason that a confident person may have a certain sex appeal. So how does this relate to wearing perfume or aftershave? A Unilever sponsored study conducted at the University of Liverpool aimed to find out. And why Unilever you ask? Well they only happen to own, amongst others, the Lynx and Sure deodorant brands - not exactly aftershaves but close enough. Interestingly the study wasn't about the actual smell of products and their effect on people around the wearer, but rather on how deodorised products actually affected the wearers behavior. They tested this by dividing a group of men into two, giving half of them a fragranced deodorant product to wear for two days and the other half an unscented product. Prior to this, a group of women were asked to rate these men based on looks alone. Two days later, after the men had been using the products, the same women were asked to rate the men based on a silent video clip of the men talking about themselves. Now here's the interesting bit. Without hearing or even smelling these men, the women gave much higher scores to the men who had been wearing the fragranced product. So just what was going on? After interviewing the men it turned out that those who had been wearing the fragranced product actually felt more confident. Remember what we said earlier about the link between confidence and sex appeal. It turns out that this confidence had clearly come across in the men's video clips and the women had actually picked up on this. The conclusion from the study was that wearing a fragranced deodorant product can in fact boost your confidence which in turn, may make you more appealing to the opposite sex. Unilever executives were no doubt jumping for joy at the outcome. So, next time you are influenced by that sexy perfume or aftershave advert and decide to part with some cash, at least you know you may actually be getting something for your money after all. It may not exactly be sex appeal in a bottle but it could have the same effect.
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