Naked Science Forum

General Science => General Science => Topic started by: Pseudoscience-is-malarkey on 05/12/2020 14:03:14

Title: Do people generally not acknowledge their own body odour?
Post by: Pseudoscience-is-malarkey on 05/12/2020 14:03:14
Because this is a forum (or "newsgroup", as I think you brits often refer to them as) I can post this question with my personal problem without much judgement.

Once again this morning, after jogging, I attempted to go take my dog to the vet without washing the jog off. I had a confrontation with my old lady, who told me I smell like sh1t and better take a shower first so I don't embarrass myself and offend people.

As usual, I told her I smell fine. But you know how women are these days. They run the household and get what they want.

Is not smelling your own odour normal?
Title: Re: Do people generally not acknowledge their own body odour?
Post by: alancalverd on 05/12/2020 19:26:40
I doubt that the dog cared much, and the vet has probably spent the morning with his arm up a cow's arse.

Play to the audience, not the critics.
Title: Re: Do people generally not acknowledge their own body odour?
Post by: evan_au on 05/12/2020 21:15:21
Your nose adapts to odors that are constant, and always seeks new odors (your senses of sight and touch do something similar),

"Noseblindness" is an interesting term for it...
- This can be lethal in the case of Hydrogen Sulfide, which really stinks when you first get exposed. After a short exposure, your nose ignores it, but it is still messing with your body.

See (or smell): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olfactory_fatigue
Title: Re: Do people generally not acknowledge their own body odour?
Post by: Bored chemist on 05/12/2020 21:25:28
Is not smelling your own odor normal?
Yes.
Am I the only one wondering how someone got to be old enough to be trusted to take the dog to the vet without knowing this?
Title: Re: Do people generally not acknowledge their own body odour?
Post by: Pseudoscience-is-malarkey on 05/12/2020 23:59:15
Is not smelling your own odor normal?
Yes.
Am I the only one wondering how someone got to be old enough to be trusted to take the dog to the vet without knowing this?
My honor has just been violated.
Title: Re: Do people generally not acknowledge their own body odour?
Post by: evan_au on 06/12/2020 19:56:01
Quote from: Pseudoscience-is-malarkey
My honor has just been violated.
By the sound of it, you violated your wife's sensibilities.
- A shower is cheap, in most "Western" countries.

Quote from: evan_au
Your nose adapts to odors that are constant
I think that one of the most offensive smells must be oxygen
- It is a highly corrosive gas
- It is present in high concentrations almost anywhere
- No wonder newborn babies cry...

Fortunately, our bodies ignore constant odours, otherwise we would be bothered by it for our whole lives...

Similarly, our sense of touch ignores constant touch from our clothes, the seat we are sitting on, and our feet on the floor.
- Otherwise we would be bombarded by irrelevant sensations all the time.

Similarly, our eyes ignore constant levels of illumination, allowing us to see at night and in the day
- And our eyes adapt to constant colour "casts"
- Remember the "bad old days" of chemical photographic film, where the colours were really wrong if you used an "outdoors" film indoors, or an "incandescent" film under fluorescent lights?
- Our eyes aren't fooled by these changes.
- Fortunately, modern digital cameras have automatic colour balance, which works pretty well (most of the time)
Title: Re: Do people generally not acknowledge their own body odour?
Post by: JasonBailey on 11/12/2020 12:57:57
Very interesting information presented, thank you
Title: Re: Do people generally not acknowledge their own body odour?
Post by: Slickscientist on 11/12/2020 18:13:39
Your nose adapts to odors that are constant, and always seeks new odors (your senses of sight and touch do something similar),

"Noseblindness" is an interesting term for it...
- This can be lethal in the case of Hydrogen Sulfide, which really stinks when you first get exposed. After a short exposure, your nose ignores it, but it is still messing with your body.

See (or smell): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olfactory_fatigue
Exactly what I was going to say. I typed it all up, but I forgot to post it...
Title: Re: Do people generally not acknowledge their own body odour?
Post by: Bored chemist on 11/12/2020 19:07:56
Am I the only one wondering how someone got to be old enough to be trusted to take the dog to the vet without knowing this?
This wasn't a rhetorical question.
I genuinely wonder if others were surprised that the OP didn't know about this.
Title: Re: Do people generally not acknowledge their own body odour?
Post by: Slickscientist on 11/12/2020 19:26:23
 !! Very true. I am 13 and I know the process like the back of my hand!. :o
Title: Re: Do people generally not acknowledge their own body odour?
Post by: MarrySun on 18/12/2020 14:32:58
Maybe a spark ran between you?
It is often said that people in love smell each other's pheromones ;D.
What do you think?