Do Women Have a Better Sense of Smell?What Studies Show
Odor & SweatArticleWomen are often said to have keener noses, and the research mostly agrees, by a small margin. A review of smell tests in thousands of people found women outperformed men on every measure, though the differences were small. A brain study counted 43% more cells in women's smell centers. Women also picked out their own body odor far more often than men. Here is what that means for body odor worry.
In this article
If you notice smells others miss, including your own, there may be some biology behind it. Here’s what the research shows, and why it matters for body odor worry.
Women do a little better on smell tests
A review pooled standard smell tests from thousands of people, including more than 13,000 on smell identification.1
- Women outperformed men in every area tested: detecting faint smells, telling smells apart and naming them.1
- But the differences were small, and the authors stressed that.1
A difference in the brain
A study counted cells in the olfactory bulb, the brain’s first smell station, in 11 women and 7 men aged 55 to 94 after death.2
- Women had about 16.2 million cells, men about 9.2 million: 43% more.2
It was a small study, and more cells doesn’t automatically mean better smelling.
Telling body odors apart
In a test with 296 women and 131 men, raters tried to pick the odd one out among underarm odor samples.3 Women were correct more often.3 Raters did best when no fragrance was worn.3
Recognizing your own scent
In a small study:4
- 59% of women could pick out their own underarm odor, against just 1 in 18 men.4
- Women also rated their own scent less pleasant than men rated theirs.4
What this means for you
A slightly keener nose, and a harsher view of your own scent, may make you more aware of your odor than people around you are. That doesn’t mean you smell bad.
- Your nose also gets used to smells you live with; see can you smell your own body odor?
- If the worry runs your day, see convinced you smell when others can’t.
- If you notice a new or different smell, see can illness change your body odor?
Try: “I’m always worried I smell, but my partner says I don’t. Is there a way to tell, and could anxiety be part of it?”
Arms Up covers this in Chapter 3, “Can They Smell Me?,” in a section called “Your Nose Tunes You Out.” Its Fresh Log asks for neutral daily notes on where and when you notice sweat or smell, a steadier record than a worried sniff. See the book.
This article is for general educational purposes only and is not medical advice. It isn't a substitute for diagnosis or treatment from a qualified healthcare professional who knows your health history. See a doctor for a sudden loss or change in your sense of smell, smelling odors that aren't there, or a new body odor others also notice. If worry about your smell is limiting your life, talk to your doctor. Girl Playbook does not endorse any specific product, test, or provider.
Girl Playbook sells this book. It provides education and worksheets, not individualized medical care.
Sources
The research behind this article, in the order it’s cited. How we source our articles.
- Frontiers in Psychology, 2019 review (via PubMed Central), 2019Sex Differences in Human Olfaction: A Meta-Analysis (opens in a new tab)abc
- PLOS ONE (via PubMed Central), 2014Sexual dimorphism in the human olfactory bulb: females have more neurons and glial cells than males (opens in a new tab)ab
- Frontiers in Psychology, 2015 study (via PubMed Central), 2015Effect of fragrance use on discrimination of individual body odor (opens in a new tab)abc
- Physiology & Behavior (abstract via PubMed), 2001Sex differences in olfactory self-recognition (opens in a new tab)abc
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