1 00:00:00,320 --> 00:00:03,000 Speaker 1: Brought to you by the reinvented two thousand twelve Camray. 2 00:00:03,240 --> 00:00:09,959 Speaker 1: It's ready. Are you welcome to stop? Mom Never told you? 3 00:00:10,200 --> 00:00:18,120 Speaker 1: From housetop works dot com. Hey there, welcome to the podcast. 4 00:00:18,160 --> 00:00:21,079 Speaker 1: This is Molly and I'm Kristen. And Kristen. Um, I 5 00:00:21,079 --> 00:00:23,759 Speaker 1: think it's my turn to share a slightly embarrassing anecdote 6 00:00:23,760 --> 00:00:26,799 Speaker 1: with you. Yeah. So this um takes us back to 7 00:00:26,840 --> 00:00:30,960 Speaker 1: sixth grade awkward time. Awkward time and uh, sixth grade 8 00:00:30,960 --> 00:00:33,840 Speaker 1: camping trip and a bunch of girls kind of hanging 9 00:00:33,840 --> 00:00:35,600 Speaker 1: out not talking to the boys, of course because that 10 00:00:35,600 --> 00:00:38,720 Speaker 1: would be too awkward. And uh, I lent one of 11 00:00:38,760 --> 00:00:41,120 Speaker 1: my friends a sweatshirt. She didn't have one and it 12 00:00:41,200 --> 00:00:42,680 Speaker 1: was cold, and so I gave her the sweatshirt and 13 00:00:42,680 --> 00:00:44,800 Speaker 1: she put it on. She's like, oh, it smells like you. 14 00:00:45,400 --> 00:00:48,199 Speaker 1: And I sort of like like soap, like, you know, 15 00:00:48,280 --> 00:00:51,479 Speaker 1: like a clean person, and she was like, no, like 16 00:00:51,600 --> 00:00:56,280 Speaker 1: fake strawberries. Um, because at the time, I wore a 17 00:00:56,280 --> 00:00:58,880 Speaker 1: a split sir that was strawberry flavored. Given to some 18 00:00:58,960 --> 00:01:01,640 Speaker 1: body splash, it might have been I wore a lot 19 00:01:01,680 --> 00:01:03,880 Speaker 1: of those in sixth grade. Two, Um, it was not. 20 00:01:04,319 --> 00:01:06,920 Speaker 1: The higher scale body splash has put out by such 21 00:01:07,160 --> 00:01:10,759 Speaker 1: um brands as Victoria's Secret or you know, Body Shop 22 00:01:10,840 --> 00:01:14,520 Speaker 1: is more like a you know, like a kid's body 23 00:01:14,600 --> 00:01:17,480 Speaker 1: spray that smelt like strawberries. And at that point I 24 00:01:17,520 --> 00:01:19,360 Speaker 1: stopped wearing it because I didn't want to smell like 25 00:01:19,440 --> 00:01:23,160 Speaker 1: fake strawberries. You just smell like melted lollipop. So I 26 00:01:23,200 --> 00:01:26,920 Speaker 1: think she meant it smelled like sugar. And uh, that 27 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:29,920 Speaker 1: was far of my first um introduction to the fact 28 00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:33,959 Speaker 1: that perfume is a distinctive thing that can mark your 29 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:36,160 Speaker 1: scent in the world, and I did not want to 30 00:01:36,240 --> 00:01:39,759 Speaker 1: smell like fake fruit. Yeah. I think everyone has had 31 00:01:39,880 --> 00:01:43,080 Speaker 1: some kind of experience where they put on a scent 32 00:01:43,160 --> 00:01:48,120 Speaker 1: that just turns somebody off, whether that Sky Girl whoever. 33 00:01:48,200 --> 00:01:51,480 Speaker 1: Because yeah, I mean with perfume, you either like it 34 00:01:51,600 --> 00:01:53,360 Speaker 1: or you hate it. Yeah, but it did make me 35 00:01:53,480 --> 00:01:55,520 Speaker 1: question if that's why I wasn't talking to the boys 36 00:01:55,560 --> 00:01:57,840 Speaker 1: on that sixth grade field trip that they weren't into 37 00:01:57,880 --> 00:02:00,880 Speaker 1: strawberry lollipop, went into strawberry Lolli pops. And you know, 38 00:02:01,040 --> 00:02:03,520 Speaker 1: it's good to learn that lesson early because as we 39 00:02:03,600 --> 00:02:07,560 Speaker 1: learned in researching this question, and does perfume make you 40 00:02:07,600 --> 00:02:13,280 Speaker 1: more attractive? It basically does, right, um. But I think 41 00:02:13,320 --> 00:02:16,000 Speaker 1: before we go any further, we have to point out 42 00:02:16,040 --> 00:02:19,720 Speaker 1: that there is no scientific evidence that perfume can have 43 00:02:19,800 --> 00:02:23,840 Speaker 1: some kind of aphrodisiac effect. I love those perfumes that 44 00:02:23,840 --> 00:02:28,680 Speaker 1: are advertised to have some kind of creepy animal hormone 45 00:02:28,840 --> 00:02:32,280 Speaker 1: in them that's supposed to make someone of the opposite 46 00:02:32,280 --> 00:02:36,560 Speaker 1: sex or whoever you want, um flock to you. Yes, 47 00:02:36,639 --> 00:02:40,120 Speaker 1: as a portrayed in the movie Anchorman, Yes we'll. Even 48 00:02:40,160 --> 00:02:44,800 Speaker 1: though there's no such thing as an aphrodisiac perfume, there 49 00:02:44,960 --> 00:02:49,880 Speaker 1: is a definite connection between scent and attraction, especially for women, 50 00:02:49,919 --> 00:02:53,840 Speaker 1: because women actually have slightly more fine tuned senses of 51 00:02:53,960 --> 00:02:58,000 Speaker 1: smell than men, and some researchers think that this is 52 00:02:58,080 --> 00:03:03,560 Speaker 1: all part of are animalistic mating rituals. Tell me more 53 00:03:03,639 --> 00:03:06,680 Speaker 1: in need, there was a study conducted at the University 54 00:03:06,800 --> 00:03:10,480 Speaker 1: of Lusine testing whether or not women could be attracted 55 00:03:10,960 --> 00:03:13,600 Speaker 1: solely by scent and sort of how how all of 56 00:03:13,639 --> 00:03:16,519 Speaker 1: that works. And what they did was they gave men 57 00:03:17,880 --> 00:03:20,919 Speaker 1: a single T shirt to wear, and they asked them, 58 00:03:20,919 --> 00:03:23,160 Speaker 1: while they were wearing it for an extended period of time, 59 00:03:23,200 --> 00:03:27,679 Speaker 1: to not use any sort of scented soaps or deodorants 60 00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:31,880 Speaker 1: or cologne so that they could just get fully absorbed 61 00:03:31,960 --> 00:03:37,400 Speaker 1: with their natural body odors. Delicious, right, So then they 62 00:03:37,440 --> 00:03:40,560 Speaker 1: gave the women just the shirts, no pictures of the 63 00:03:40,600 --> 00:03:42,720 Speaker 1: men or anything like that. They just gave the women 64 00:03:42,960 --> 00:03:46,040 Speaker 1: the shirts to smell. And they found that the sense 65 00:03:46,200 --> 00:03:51,000 Speaker 1: that the women were most attracted to correlated with the 66 00:03:51,120 --> 00:03:55,120 Speaker 1: men who were the most genetically dissimilar from them. And 67 00:03:55,120 --> 00:04:00,280 Speaker 1: they think that it's because women are biologically attuned toiffing 68 00:04:00,280 --> 00:04:02,920 Speaker 1: out men who are more genetically different so that they 69 00:04:02,920 --> 00:04:07,360 Speaker 1: can have more successful offspring. Interesting because that is completely 70 00:04:07,440 --> 00:04:11,160 Speaker 1: counter to how perfume is marketed to women. Basically, what 71 00:04:11,320 --> 00:04:14,720 Speaker 1: Kristen saying is that women just need the natural scent 72 00:04:14,840 --> 00:04:17,280 Speaker 1: of about, you know, if there's gonna be reproductive success. 73 00:04:17,880 --> 00:04:21,200 Speaker 1: But women are told and have been told throughout history, 74 00:04:21,200 --> 00:04:24,880 Speaker 1: which we'll go over that, um, they need perfume to 75 00:04:24,960 --> 00:04:28,400 Speaker 1: be attractive to men at all, I guess because men 76 00:04:28,440 --> 00:04:31,520 Speaker 1: don't have those supersensors and can't tell for themselves who 77 00:04:31,520 --> 00:04:33,720 Speaker 1: they need to mate with. I guess. So well, all right, 78 00:04:33,760 --> 00:04:37,600 Speaker 1: so Molly, why don't we talk about what perfume is exactly? 79 00:04:37,640 --> 00:04:40,400 Speaker 1: We know that it's usually a liquid. You spray it 80 00:04:40,480 --> 00:04:42,920 Speaker 1: on you. But what is inside of it that makes 81 00:04:42,960 --> 00:04:46,240 Speaker 1: it smell so delicious or revolting to some people. It's 82 00:04:46,279 --> 00:04:51,320 Speaker 1: got alcohol, water and molecules would evaporate a room temperature, 83 00:04:51,360 --> 00:04:54,120 Speaker 1: and that's it. Yeah. The molecules are what provide the 84 00:04:54,160 --> 00:04:57,440 Speaker 1: smell um and as you may know, they're sort of 85 00:04:57,480 --> 00:04:59,839 Speaker 1: different levels of how much smell you're going to get 86 00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:04,840 Speaker 1: in a bottle. Right. Uh, the most concentrated amount of 87 00:05:04,839 --> 00:05:09,680 Speaker 1: perfume oil is going to be referred to as perfume, okay, 88 00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:13,560 Speaker 1: and then it goes down to oda, cologne and body 89 00:05:13,560 --> 00:05:16,800 Speaker 1: sprays like your strawberry body sprays that have the least 90 00:05:16,839 --> 00:05:19,240 Speaker 1: amount of perfume oil. So that's why you have the 91 00:05:19,279 --> 00:05:23,960 Speaker 1: different designations of um like perfume. Ode to part from 92 00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:25,760 Speaker 1: I am, I do not speak French, Milly. I feel 93 00:05:25,839 --> 00:05:29,080 Speaker 1: kind of silly trying. I'm really enjoying try and do this, 94 00:05:29,160 --> 00:05:31,320 Speaker 1: but um, the point is, just because you're wearing a 95 00:05:31,400 --> 00:05:34,000 Speaker 1: perfume doesn't mean you're wearing like the cheap stuff, the 96 00:05:34,040 --> 00:05:37,120 Speaker 1: stuff with less concentration in it. That's actually what you 97 00:05:37,120 --> 00:05:38,840 Speaker 1: have to do to kind of get the actual good 98 00:05:38,880 --> 00:05:43,200 Speaker 1: smell out of all these molecules. Yeah, because perfume is 99 00:05:43,240 --> 00:05:50,239 Speaker 1: designed to release in different stages. First, you have the uh, 100 00:05:50,279 --> 00:05:52,200 Speaker 1: you've got the top notes that will evaporate in the 101 00:05:52,200 --> 00:05:54,880 Speaker 1: first fifteen minutes, like when you first spray some perfume 102 00:05:54,920 --> 00:05:57,920 Speaker 1: and you immediately smell yourself that those are the top 103 00:05:57,960 --> 00:06:01,640 Speaker 1: notes being released. And then after three to four hours, 104 00:06:01,680 --> 00:06:06,080 Speaker 1: the heart notes, those those deeper, deeper molecules are then released. 105 00:06:06,080 --> 00:06:08,680 Speaker 1: And then finally you've got the bass notes that will 106 00:06:08,720 --> 00:06:11,800 Speaker 1: stick around after five to eight hours of application, that 107 00:06:11,839 --> 00:06:15,239 Speaker 1: are really the essence of the perfume. That's the stuff. 108 00:06:15,279 --> 00:06:17,000 Speaker 1: It's just it's going to stick around on your on 109 00:06:17,040 --> 00:06:19,720 Speaker 1: your sweatshirt. Yeah. And so the next time you get 110 00:06:19,720 --> 00:06:22,200 Speaker 1: a boll perfume, treat it like a wine and impress 111 00:06:22,240 --> 00:06:24,640 Speaker 1: all your friends by talking about bass notes and heart notes. Yeah. 112 00:06:24,680 --> 00:06:28,520 Speaker 1: So I love the hard notes in your your new cologne. Um. 113 00:06:28,560 --> 00:06:30,760 Speaker 1: But one thing that I thought was interesting, Mollie, was 114 00:06:30,800 --> 00:06:35,599 Speaker 1: that after the top notes evaporate, perfume smells the same 115 00:06:35,720 --> 00:06:38,520 Speaker 1: on everybody. Yeah. That's kind of interesting, Yeah, because I 116 00:06:38,560 --> 00:06:42,000 Speaker 1: thought that we picked different perfumes because you know, they 117 00:06:42,320 --> 00:06:45,160 Speaker 1: they'll smell different. My perfume will smell differently on you. 118 00:06:45,200 --> 00:06:49,640 Speaker 1: But maybe it's just because our sense of smell is different, 119 00:06:49,760 --> 00:06:51,719 Speaker 1: not necessarily the way the perfume is released. Yeah, people 120 00:06:51,760 --> 00:06:53,920 Speaker 1: have been looking at the psychology of why women even 121 00:06:53,920 --> 00:06:56,080 Speaker 1: wear perfume, So there is this question of whether the 122 00:06:56,120 --> 00:06:59,960 Speaker 1: perfume like is kind of genetically ingrained with odor receptors 123 00:07:00,040 --> 00:07:01,760 Speaker 1: or if it's more you know, you start to learn 124 00:07:02,160 --> 00:07:06,159 Speaker 1: what smells good to you. Because their scent is so individualized, 125 00:07:06,160 --> 00:07:08,359 Speaker 1: there's no one scent that researchers have been able to 126 00:07:08,400 --> 00:07:14,600 Speaker 1: find that every culture enjoys. So let's just talk about 127 00:07:14,640 --> 00:07:19,400 Speaker 1: maybe the differences between why men and women might wear perfume. 128 00:07:20,280 --> 00:07:23,600 Speaker 1: According to the book The Scent of Desire, Discovering Our 129 00:07:23,760 --> 00:07:28,320 Speaker 1: Enigmatic Sense of Smell. Um, men wear cologne to attract women. 130 00:07:28,880 --> 00:07:32,040 Speaker 1: If anyone has ever seen a commercial for ax body spray, 131 00:07:32,680 --> 00:07:35,560 Speaker 1: I think that marketers have definitely tapped into a to 132 00:07:35,720 --> 00:07:38,600 Speaker 1: that to that reason behind it. And then older men 133 00:07:38,720 --> 00:07:40,960 Speaker 1: supposedly do it out of gratitude to the women who 134 00:07:41,000 --> 00:07:44,960 Speaker 1: gave them their cologne, which okay, I guess as long 135 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:47,960 Speaker 1: as they like it beforehand. But women, on the other hand, 136 00:07:48,120 --> 00:07:51,560 Speaker 1: UM where it for a little bit different reasons. Supposedly, 137 00:07:51,600 --> 00:07:55,360 Speaker 1: women in their twenties like me and Molly are inspired 138 00:07:55,400 --> 00:07:58,200 Speaker 1: by the media to where we see Jessica Simpson or 139 00:07:58,200 --> 00:08:04,600 Speaker 1: Britney Spears or insert your favorite pop icon advertising different 140 00:08:04,600 --> 00:08:07,239 Speaker 1: types of perfumes and we're like, oh, well, pretty Spears, 141 00:08:07,240 --> 00:08:10,000 Speaker 1: where's that kind of her? Female do it too? Yeah, 142 00:08:10,040 --> 00:08:12,280 Speaker 1: And I think that's why the last time people want 143 00:08:12,320 --> 00:08:15,160 Speaker 1: to emulate all of Britney's behavior. But it's an idea, 144 00:08:15,240 --> 00:08:17,880 Speaker 1: but maybe some people like it. But by our forties, 145 00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:20,840 Speaker 1: supposedly women are wearing fragrances just because we like it. 146 00:08:20,880 --> 00:08:24,880 Speaker 1: We found something for me. It is Chanelle Chance that 147 00:08:24,960 --> 00:08:27,280 Speaker 1: we like. Even though I'm not forty, I guess I'm 148 00:08:27,280 --> 00:08:31,840 Speaker 1: ahead of my time. Um. And then by sixty women 149 00:08:32,840 --> 00:08:35,400 Speaker 1: where the things that they think other people like, usually 150 00:08:35,400 --> 00:08:39,000 Speaker 1: like their daughters or other family members really enjoy. But 151 00:08:39,040 --> 00:08:41,000 Speaker 1: you know, it wasn't always that way. Kristen, I was 152 00:08:41,000 --> 00:08:44,160 Speaker 1: reading a really interesting article in the journal pop Culture 153 00:08:44,200 --> 00:08:47,600 Speaker 1: that kind of evaluated perfume over time and how it's 154 00:08:47,600 --> 00:08:50,959 Speaker 1: been marketed to women at different times. And um, it 155 00:08:51,040 --> 00:08:53,640 Speaker 1: was talking about how in the nineteenth century, when women 156 00:08:53,800 --> 00:08:58,479 Speaker 1: were very much living, um, in a domestic sphere, serving husbands, 157 00:08:58,679 --> 00:09:02,320 Speaker 1: raising children. Um, you had to be very modest and 158 00:09:02,360 --> 00:09:04,880 Speaker 1: you couldn't wear much of a sent at all. It 159 00:09:04,960 --> 00:09:08,080 Speaker 1: was sort of associated with prostitutes to be wearing a 160 00:09:08,160 --> 00:09:11,839 Speaker 1: cent And it wasn't until the nineteen forties when um, 161 00:09:11,880 --> 00:09:13,360 Speaker 1: you know, the men went off to Warren had pin 162 00:09:13,440 --> 00:09:16,520 Speaker 1: ups of girls that um, it was kind of a 163 00:09:16,559 --> 00:09:19,960 Speaker 1: good thing in society to be uh an alluring female, 164 00:09:20,760 --> 00:09:22,960 Speaker 1: and so that was why it started to become more 165 00:09:22,960 --> 00:09:25,080 Speaker 1: and more acceptable that you could wear perfume to allure 166 00:09:25,120 --> 00:09:29,920 Speaker 1: a man. Well, that makes sense because almost any perfume 167 00:09:30,160 --> 00:09:32,720 Speaker 1: that you'll see has some element of sex in it. 168 00:09:33,160 --> 00:09:35,840 Speaker 1: Either the woman just has a come hither look in 169 00:09:35,920 --> 00:09:39,360 Speaker 1: her eyes, or she's rubbing up on another man or something. 170 00:09:39,400 --> 00:09:42,880 Speaker 1: There's a very sensual aspect to perfume and marketing, probably 171 00:09:42,920 --> 00:09:46,880 Speaker 1: because it can become sort of a part of your identity. 172 00:09:47,880 --> 00:09:50,560 Speaker 1: But you know, in the nineteen fifties things haven't progressed 173 00:09:50,559 --> 00:09:53,200 Speaker 1: for women that much. Your identity is still you know, 174 00:09:53,320 --> 00:09:55,760 Speaker 1: as a good housewife. So all the ads of that 175 00:09:55,800 --> 00:09:58,040 Speaker 1: time we're just about like this perfume will please your 176 00:09:58,040 --> 00:10:02,360 Speaker 1: man where it and men had none of those responsibilities. 177 00:10:02,400 --> 00:10:04,679 Speaker 1: And then it's not until the nineteen seventies when we've 178 00:10:04,679 --> 00:10:07,680 Speaker 1: got a lot of um, women's live feminist stuff going on, 179 00:10:08,360 --> 00:10:10,640 Speaker 1: that perfume became kind of a lifestyle choice. You can 180 00:10:10,679 --> 00:10:13,520 Speaker 1: wear this because you know you're making a choice for 181 00:10:13,600 --> 00:10:18,199 Speaker 1: you how you want to smell interesting. Um. Well, it's 182 00:10:18,240 --> 00:10:20,880 Speaker 1: kind of funny that this marketing is really just linked 183 00:10:20,880 --> 00:10:25,440 Speaker 1: to attraction and sexuality and all of that, because some 184 00:10:25,720 --> 00:10:29,360 Speaker 1: psychologists think that deodorant and perfume and all of these 185 00:10:29,400 --> 00:10:32,520 Speaker 1: things that were supposedly need to have to make ourselves 186 00:10:32,760 --> 00:10:37,640 Speaker 1: look and feel more attractive, has diminished women's capabilities of 187 00:10:38,040 --> 00:10:40,880 Speaker 1: sniffing out a good mate. Oh dear, Yeah, so maybe 188 00:10:40,880 --> 00:10:44,200 Speaker 1: we're actually shooting ourselves on in the foot by dausing you, 189 00:10:44,440 --> 00:10:48,640 Speaker 1: by shooting ourselves with perfume exactly, Molly, So you know, 190 00:10:48,679 --> 00:10:52,120 Speaker 1: think twice before you're putting on the perfume. Don't a 191 00:10:52,160 --> 00:10:55,240 Speaker 1: scare away potential mates. Yeah, but I will give a 192 00:10:55,280 --> 00:10:57,520 Speaker 1: slight tip to all our mothers out there. I was 193 00:10:57,600 --> 00:11:00,719 Speaker 1: reading that, Um, if your favorite perfume is one that's 194 00:11:00,800 --> 00:11:03,240 Speaker 1: very similar to one your mom used to wear, that 195 00:11:03,400 --> 00:11:07,160 Speaker 1: is because you know, sense do bring back emotions, and 196 00:11:07,480 --> 00:11:11,360 Speaker 1: women often choose to smell like their mothers to bring back, 197 00:11:11,559 --> 00:11:13,560 Speaker 1: you know, the presence of their mother, even when they're 198 00:11:13,600 --> 00:11:15,679 Speaker 1: not there, right, Molly. And just like your friend who 199 00:11:15,760 --> 00:11:18,600 Speaker 1: knew you in sixth grade as her friend who smelled 200 00:11:18,640 --> 00:11:23,200 Speaker 1: like frosted strawberries, um, it really does stick around with you. Yeah, 201 00:11:23,200 --> 00:11:25,000 Speaker 1: I'm always going to be known as the strawberry Girl. 202 00:11:25,840 --> 00:11:28,600 Speaker 1: Too bad, Molly Ben. But if you want to learn 203 00:11:28,640 --> 00:11:32,000 Speaker 1: more about smells and how perfume works, then head on 204 00:11:32,040 --> 00:11:34,560 Speaker 1: over to how stuff works dot com. And if you 205 00:11:34,600 --> 00:11:36,800 Speaker 1: have any questions or comments for me or Molly, you 206 00:11:36,800 --> 00:11:40,200 Speaker 1: can email us at mom stuff at how stuff works 207 00:11:40,280 --> 00:11:46,360 Speaker 1: dot com For more on this and thousands of other topics. 208 00:11:46,640 --> 00:11:53,760 Speaker 1: Is how stuff works dot com brought to you by 209 00:11:53,760 --> 00:11:57,240 Speaker 1: the reinvented two thousand twelve Camray. It's ready, are you