Stuffy Noses and Pheromones

[Eggers]

Am I right in assuming that if someone were to have a stuffy nose, (from a cold or brutal allergies), that he might not be able to sense pheromones I was wearing?

 

BF has some rotten allergies kicking his butt right now, and I'm curious.

[Potion Master]

Personal opinion: I think the chemical messages provided by pheros are processed in the sinuses/wherever our olfactory receptors are located in the nasal cavity. So if your nose is stuffed and you're forced into only breathing through your mouth, I don't think they'll effect you much..although some may travel from your mouth up into your nasal cavity even when your nose is stuffed, but I think the effect of them will be severely muted at best.

 

On the other hand, I think that even people with anosmia (the inability to smell anything) can be effected by pheros because it's not 'just' a smell, but a chemical message, and as long as it passes by the receptors it can be processed by the brain, even if you can't smell them.

 

Just my gut feeling though. Perhaps BlueBear or Rosebud will provide a more scientific answer.

[Eggers]

Thanks PM. That's kind of what I thought. In the past 3 days I've worn cops twice, and MRF/Blatant Invitation once, and there was absolutely no reaction from him. That's unusual.

[luna65]

On the other hand, I think that even people with anosmia (the inability to smell anything) can be effected by pheros because it's not 'just' a smell, but a chemical message, and as long as it passes by the receptors it can be processed by the brain, even if you can't smell them.

I have observed this happening, so I believe it does.

[Eggers]

I kind of think it does, too. I'd be curious to try some pheros around one of BF's buddies, who has anosmia, though we haven't seen him in a while. Next time he visits, maybe.

 

I've often wondered if people with anosmia have iron stomachs to compensate for all the food they eat that's 'off'. BF's buddy used to eat bad food on a regular basis, and he never seemed to get food poisoning. Ever.

[BlueBear]

Ack! Not me! This is probably more of an anatomy thing, I defer 100% to Rosebud!! Anything from me would be a wild guess. But I'm inclined to agree with mara's statement that as long as the phero passes the receptors, there is some reaction.

[Synergist]

My sense of smell is constantly disappearing as I have a severely deviated septum and bad allergies, so as soon as the allergies flare up I can't smell much at all. But I still feel like pheros affect me, Heart's Ease for example. I kind of "smell" by breathing in through my mouth, smells can supposedly still reach the scent receptors in the back of your nose that way. It is dulled, but definitely still there.