Researchers have discovered a new sex nerve in humans. "Nerve O," has endings in the nasal cavity and might explain why some people might like to bury their heads in the underarms of their partners after sex (what? is that weird?), er, are attracted to potential mates' smells.
But it's not about conscious smell, it's about cues that smells send to our brains about other people.
Research has also shown that these unconscious cues processed in Nerve “O” can make or break a relationship. Couples who have high levels of chemicals in common are more likely to encounter fertility issues, miscarriage and infidelity. The more dissimilar you and your partner’s chemical makeup, the better chance you will have at successfully procreating and staying together.
While reading the article though, we were thinking about how we're actually attracted to men whose, uh, post-workout smell is similar to that t-shirt we wear way too often. And then we got to this part:
However, if you are taking a hormonal contraceptive, you might be
bucking an evolutionary tide. Women who are on the pill are more likely
to be attracted to men with similar chemical makeup — most likely
because their bodies are fooling them into believing they are pregnant,
and so much like actual pregnant women, their Nerve “O” leads them to
kin and not mates. So if you were on the pill when you met your mate,
you might experience a diminishing attraction when you cease taking it.
Iiiiiiinteresting. (Fuck.)
[MSNBC: Scientists discover secret sex nerve]
Image via www.flatrock.org.nz
