- Canadian researchers found women felt calmer after sniffing a worn T-shirt
- The women had a mock job interview and afterwards reported their stress
- Researchers said the natural scent can be a ‘powerful tool’ to reduce stress
Having to sort through their husband’s dirty socks and shirts seems a sure-fire way to make a woman’s blood boil.
But, unlikely as it seems, sniffing a partner’s unwashed clothes could help women cope with stress, according to a study.
Canadian researchers found that when women were given a T-shirt worn by their partner for 24 hours without deodorant to smell, they felt more calm under pressure. They said it shows the natural scent of the people we love ‘can be a powerful tool to help reduce stress’.
Unlikely as it seems, sniffing a partner’s unwashed clothes could help women cope with stress, according to a study
Women who were given their partner’s shirt to sniff reported less stress after a mock job interview, according to researchers in Canada
The study, by the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, saw 48 women subjected to a mock job interview and mental arithmetic task in front of a camera and judging panel.
Those who were given their partner’s T-shirt to sniff beforehand reported significantly less stress in a questionnaire after the interview.
Saliva tests also showed their levels of the stress hormone cortisol were a lot lower than in women who had smelled a T-shirt worn by a stranger.
Neither group were told whose top they were smelling in the study, published in the Journal of Social Psychology.