Olfactory Cues: The Nonverbal that Speaks Volumes

We have all been there: sitting in class, taking notes. Then we sense the unmistakeable scent of body odor or someone’s silent, but very deadly, gas. It makes you uncomfortable just thinking about it doesn’t it? And the worst part of all is when you know that you were the cause. Knowing how to navigate the world of personal scent holds a certain degree of importance for a college student. So I will give a few everyday situations that you will find yourself in and lay out the social expectations associated with them. Hopefully, most of what I have to say will not be new information for you.

But first, let’s just take a minute to affirm the importance of showering regularly, using deodorant, and wearing clean cloths. These are the foundation that everything else is built on. There just aren’t any situations that I can think of on a college campus like Purdue where smelling like you haven’t bathed or used deodorant in a week is a positive social norm. Maybe if you’re extremely slammed during dead week. But then, if you have so much work that you can’t carve out five minutes make sure that you smell like you just got done scaring a skunk, you should probably consider switching majors or, at minimum, evaluate your use of time and what that says about your priorities. And in case I haven’t already said enough obvious things, your cloths do start to smell if you wear them too long without washing them. Giving them a quick sniff in the morning before you leave for class is easier than coming up with a metaphor for doing something really easy.

Situation 1: Class

This one is really easy. Unless you have someone that you want to impress, there isn’t much that you have to think about here. You have free reign to try new scents as much as you want, and if your friend (who apparently has a creepily good sense of smell) notices you might get a compliment. Alternatively, no one is going to care if you rolled out of bed ten minutes before sitting down at your desk. Just make sure that you don’t ignore basic hygiene too long.

Situation 2: Dating

If this section actually applies to you, then good job! You’ve made it farther than I ever have. But in my limited understanding of how this mysterious social phenomenon works is that you are actually trying to impress someone else. And that usually takes at least a little effort. Your appearance, manners, sense of humor, character, and of course your smell must all work together in perfect unity to convince this other person that you are a good catch. And, guys, one thing that I can actually tell you from experience is that girls actually do notice how you smell, and it is something that they care about. Given the number of different scents that you can choose from, I can’t possibly give you a guide on which cologne to choose. If need help with that, ask her best friend. But, trust me, if you put effort into impressing her with your scent, she will notice. But to balance that out a little, too much of a good thing is not a good thing. Remember that guy from middle school who used the entire can of Axe? Don’t be that guy.

Situation 3: Job Interview

This one is a little different. You are still trying to impress the other person, but in a very different way. You want to act as professional as possible, especially those of us in STEM majors. But how does that relate to smell? Obviously you don’t want to smell bad. But you don’t really want to smell good either. The goal here is to be as discreet as possible. You want to make sure that nothing distracts you prospective employer from that glistening resume that you just put in his hands. Yes, you probably should have something on. But it shouldn’t be a strong smell.