New research suggests an explanation for why some people instantly click as friends.
We humans pick up smells subconsciously, science suggests–both our own and others.
Scientists recruited same-sex nonromantic pairs, people whose friendships formed very rapidly before they had a chance to figure out how much they had in common.
After collecting body odor samples, the team analyzed how similar pairs' samples were, compared to random pairings.
The friendship pairs' samples were deemed more similar than the random pairs.
In romance, smell may play a different role. Science suggests that young heterosexual women find single men to have more powerful body odor than partnered men and that men can smell when a woman is aroused.
Differences attract when it comes to smell and sex, possibly to give a potential baby a chance at better health.
Heterosexual women, is there a man you really like but just don't want to date? You wish you did, but you don't? It's possible that women "friend-zone" men because of smell cues since we like similarities in friendship and differences in sexual partners.
So if you're dating online, these are all good reasons to meet in person as soon as you feel it's safe. And if you're hoping to make new friends, look for in-person situations as well.
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