• Chris@feddit.uk
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    4 days ago

    Yes, the sweat keeps you cool and the smell attracts others with different immune system.

    • Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      3 days ago

      My partner’s sweat smells so fucking UNFFFFF and has for the last decade and I cannot get enough of it aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

        • LongLive@lemmy.world
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          4 days ago

          I want to ask for help to deal with the cognitive dissonance I am experiencing. This information is proof that I (if this study applies to me) will discriminate people based on something they cannot control… which is wrong, correct?

          • djsoren19@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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            3 days ago

            There’s nothing wrong with having preferences. Discrimination gets a bad rap because of it’s association with racism, homophobia, etc, but everybody discriminates all the time, every day, typically about incredibly simple stuff. At the end of the day, it’s just recognizing differences in people and making decisions based on those differences. Yeah, you shouldn’t let something like race or gender impact a decision to hire someone, but you’re already discriminating against one gender when selecting romantic partners. (unless you’re bisexual and have exactly a 50/50 preference) If you’re only attracted to people with athletic builds, you’ll be discriminating against tons of people with health conditions. If you’re looking for a goth partner, you’re discriminating against all the people with happy families. I don’t really think discriminating over pheremones is any different.

            • LongLive@lemmy.world
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              3 days ago

              I understand your point (I think I do) rationally. The difference is that I feel that any discrimination (figure, style, voice) is wrong… which is extreme, correct? I wasn’t very anxious about those because they felt controllable, and now I learn there is a different trait which I might not be conscious of, affecting my behaviour. That (belief) causes anxiety.

              • dnick@sh.itjust.works
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                1 day ago

                So you’re anxiety isn’t because they can’t control the trait, but because you can’t control or direct the impulse. Makes sense, because you are being directed by an unknown force.

              • djsoren19@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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                3 days ago

                Yes, I’d say that’s a pretty extreme view. I’m also not sure what you mean by controllable? I’d argue most of the uniqueness of humans comes as a product of the environment they were raised in, which isn’t really something we have control over.

                Also I have real bad news if you’re worried about things you’re not conscious of affecting your behaviors.

      • rainrain@sh.itjust.works
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        3 days ago

        One (old) piece of advice I heard.

        Your pocket handkerchief. Rub it on your balls. Then put it back in your breast pocket.

        You will get more attention from the girls.

        Pheromones are real and powerful.

      • introvertcatto@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        4 days ago

        I think all humans have some kind of natural scent that can be used to “find a mate”. Not everyone will find that scent attractive but your potential partner might. It’s basically a way we evolved to find a partner to reproduce and get stronger as specie. Of course someone who better understand can correct me.

  • LouNeko@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    Something I haven’t seen mentioned here is the fact that sweat acts as a lubricant between the skin of your torso and upper-inner arm preventing chapping with increased skin-on-skin contact movement.

  • mrmule@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    Between 80 and 95% of East Asians have a dysfunction of the ABCCII gene, which is linked to smelly pits, a number of studies say. And this means their bodies don’t release the same acidic odor smell the rest of the population does when exposed to hot temperatures and perspiration.

    Also causes dry earwax

  • Fleur_
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    3 days ago

    Sweating is good for heat management, the smell is useful for mate selection.

  • Call me Lenny/Leni@lemm.eeM
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    3 days ago

    Supposedly the smell was something prehistoric people would flaunt. Mating in a lot of species is odor-based, and at one time, we were no exception. They did an experiment in an episode of a science program called Brink where they made a pheromone system that could be used to detect how related you were to a potential mate and found it successful. For us, they say, it just happens to gather in our armpits.

    Whatever prehistoric people thought, nowadays we seem to dislike body odor and tend to favor filling the room with a mist of Old Spice.

  • turtle [he/him]@lemm.ee
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    4 days ago

    My understanding is that our armpits wouldn’t stink (as much) if we did the same thing as our ancestors - that is, not wash them with soap and use deodorants. I think there are supposed to be naturally occurring bacteria that will keep the stinky bacteria in check if we didn’t kill them with that stuff. I haven’t read anything in depth about this though.

    As for sweating under the armpits, sweating in general helps us cool down our temperature. I wouldn’t be surprised if armpit sweat also helps lubricate an area that would otherwise be prone to chafing when you’re active.

    • dingus@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      I mean, here’s another thought…

      A lot of animals in the wild stink. Seriously. Check out a farm or a zoo. It’s quite possible that people just used to generally smell bad before the modern age.

      But I guess a positive to this is, you know how you get used to a smell if you’re around it all the time? Like say you eat McDonald’s in your car on a long car journey. Nothing is out of the ordinary smell wise to you. But then you get to your destination and leave your car for a few days. You come back and notice it smells like shitty old McDonald’s because you had been away from it for a bit. What I’m getting at is if we were around stinky people all day we maybe weren’t bothered by it as much because you can go “nose blind” to that sort of thing after being exposed to it often.

      • turtle [he/him]@lemm.ee
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        3 days ago

        A lot of animals in the wild stink. Seriously. Check out a farm or a zoo. It’s quite possible that people just used to generally smell bad before the modern age.

        That’s definitely something to consider, but when I really think about it I’m not sure I completely agree with this. I am sure that some animals smell more than others, but also that a lot of the smell you notice especially in zoos is because you’re smelling their poop nearby. I think if you take most animals away from their bathroom area you may notice much less odor on their bodies.

        I think of cats as an example, since I’m most familiar with having them at home. Cats are typically nearly odorless unless they have some health issue. They may not be the best example though, since they do clean themselves all the time unlike most other animals. Another thing to consider is how would those animals smell if they ate their natural diet that they would eat in the wild. I think that would also have an effect on their smell.

        In short, I don’t think there’s much evidence that humans stunk to high heaven before the invention of soap and deodorant. I would gladly consider the evidence though.

        • shalafi@lemmy.world
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          3 days ago

          Yeah, cats are a poor example, perhaps the poorest. :) Rodents and rabbits might be better for your proof. They rarely, if ever, seem to smell much. But then again they’re prey, wouldn’t be too beneficial to stink out loud.

          You should meet a wild pig. Pigs are actually clean animals, especially careful about their poop. But Heysus Christos, a wild pig do stink.

    • baggachipz@sh.itjust.works
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      3 days ago

      I encourage you to stop washing your armpits and not use deodorant. I’m sure the people around you will appreciate your decision and the special bacteria involved.

    • antlion@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      3 days ago

      I do use soap but not anti bacterial soap, just dr bronners. But I really scratch with my finger nails. Anyway I don’t wear deodorant. I don’t smell until 2-3 days without a shower.

  • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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    4 days ago

    We don’t have the organ to sense pheromones, but we weren’t going to lose the ability to produce them first.

    But also, it’s an armpit. A big slab of meat touching one of the hottest parts of your body. It’s going to trap heat which stimulates sweating.

  • DragonsInARoom@lemmy.world
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    4 days ago

    Yes, because it gets hot between your arm and the side of your torso, and the stink in the buildup of normal bodily bacteria is larger concentrations. Fun fact the bacteria in your armpit is the same bacteria that is resistant to Methicillin (MRSA, Staphylococcus aureus.)