Family scents: developmental changes in the perception of kin body odor?

Journal of Chemical Ecology
Camille FerdenziS Craig Roberts

Abstract

There is increasing evidence that human body odors are involved in adaptive behaviors, such as parental attachment in infants or partner choice in adults. The aim of the present study was to investigate changes in body-odor perception around puberty, a period largely ignored for odor-mediated behavioral changes, despite major changes in social needs and in odor emission and perception. Nine families with two children (8 pre-pubertal, aged 7-10, and 10 pubertal, aged 11-18) evaluated body odors of family members and unfamiliar individuals for pleasantness, intensity, and masculinity, and performed a recognition task. The hypothesized emergence of a parent-child mutual aversion for the odor of opposite-sex family members at puberty was not found, contradicting one of the few studies on the topic (Weisfeld et al., J. Exp. Child Psychol. 85:279-295, 2003). However, some developmental changes were observed, including reduced aversion for odor of the same-sex parent, and increased ability of adults, compared to children, to recognize odor of family members. Sex and personality (depressive and aggressive traits) also significantly influenced odor judgments. Further research with larger samples is needed to investigate the poorly explo...Continue Reading

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Citations

Aug 25, 2015·Frontiers in Psychology·Caroline AllenS Craig Roberts
Feb 19, 2013·Biological Psychiatry·Valentina ParmaUmberto Castiello
Jul 10, 2016·Journal of Neurology·Ilona Croy, Thomas Hummel
Jan 7, 2017·Perception·Lenka Martinec NovákováJan Havlíček
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Mar 21, 2020·Frontiers in Psychology·Laura SchäferIlona Croy
Jun 3, 2017·Frontiers in Psychology·Agata GroyeckaPiotr Sorokowski
Apr 21, 2020·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·Benoist SchaalKarine Durand
Apr 21, 2020·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·S Craig RobertsBen Langford
Apr 21, 2020·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·Laura SchäferIlona Croy
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Jan 13, 2021·Cell and Tissue Research·Sanne Boesveldt, Valentina Parma

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