WEBVTT - What Causes 'New Baby Smell'?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeartRadio. Hey brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>Lauren Vogelbaum Here, it's difficult to describe the scent of

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<v Speaker 1>a recently born human baby, but if you've ever held one,

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<v Speaker 1>you know exactly what we're talking about. You may have

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<v Speaker 1>even snuggled their head in close and taken a good huff.

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<v Speaker 1>It's not even baby shampoo or lotion or diapers. It's

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<v Speaker 1>a little sweet, maybe milky, a tiny bit musky, and

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<v Speaker 1>then one day it's just gone, often without anyone even

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<v Speaker 1>realizing that it had been fading. So what exactly is

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<v Speaker 1>that new baby smell? This is one of those questions

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<v Speaker 1>that no one really knows the answer to. We've talked

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<v Speaker 1>before in the show about old people smell. It's not unpleasant,

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<v Speaker 1>but researchers have identified a particular grassy, musty scent compound

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<v Speaker 1>emitted by skin that we produce more of as we age,

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<v Speaker 1>especially after seventy five years or so, and people can

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<v Speaker 1>easily identify older people by that scent. Again, no one

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<v Speaker 1>is really sure what the biological reason is for this,

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<v Speaker 1>but the theory goes that a smell related to a

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<v Speaker 1>certain age group may be an evolutionary relic designed to

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<v Speaker 1>help animals choose their mates, with the idea that long

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<v Speaker 1>term survivors would be worth reproducing with, and that new

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<v Speaker 1>baby smell might also serve some kind of evolutionary biological purpose,

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<v Speaker 1>for example, to help a mother identify her baby more easily,

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<v Speaker 1>similar to how babies can identify their mothers by smell

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<v Speaker 1>almost immediately. Several studies have shown that most mothers can

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<v Speaker 1>identify their babies by smell alone. It may also help

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<v Speaker 1>parents bond with their baby. A twenty thirteen study from

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<v Speaker 1>Frontiers in Psychology found that when women were given an

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<v Speaker 1>undershirt with a baby sent on it, not their own

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<v Speaker 1>baby scent, just any old baby scent, their brains reward

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<v Speaker 1>center lit up. This was true whether or not the

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<v Speaker 1>women were mothers themselves, and a two thousand and eight

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<v Speaker 1>study of Marnoset monkeys showed that monkey fathers who smelled

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<v Speaker 1>their newborns showed a drop in testosterone, which could make them,

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<v Speaker 1>to quote the study, more tolerant toward his infants while

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<v Speaker 1>facing external challenges that might distract him from focusing on

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<v Speaker 1>his infant and family needs. What we do know is

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<v Speaker 1>that new baby smell is complex, far more than a

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<v Speaker 1>single compound. Researchers with the Monel Taste and Smell Center

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<v Speaker 1>think it's made up of about two hundred and fifty

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<v Speaker 1>chemicals in combination. That's why it's so difficult to pin down.

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<v Speaker 1>It's everything from their diet of breast, milk or formula,

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<v Speaker 1>which are really complex in themselves, to residues of the

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<v Speaker 1>amniotic fluid that they've been living in a tube specialized

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<v Speaker 1>harmless bacteria that live and grow in their guts and

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<v Speaker 1>on their skin. Since there are still so many questions

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<v Speaker 1>about what this scent is and why it exists, recreating

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<v Speaker 1>it is pretty unlikely, at least for now, So if

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<v Speaker 1>you enjoy new baby smell, you're just going to have

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<v Speaker 1>to get it at the source, with the sources parents permission,

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<v Speaker 1>of course. Today's episode is based on the article what

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<v Speaker 1>causes new baby Smell on HowStuffWorks dot Com, written by

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<v Speaker 1>Katherine Whitburn and Flive Copeland. Brain Stuff is production of

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<v Speaker 1>iHeartRadio in partnership with howstufforks dot Com and is produced

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<v Speaker 1>by Tyler Klang. Four more podcasts my Heart Radio, visit

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