"The evolutionary theory behind why stress sweat smells so bad is that it's believed the odor triggers an alert response in our brains," Hafeez said in an email to CNET. "When humans smell this type of perspiration, we can tell it's the physical response to a mental concern, like fear or anxiety."
People can unconsciously detect whether someone is stressed or scared by smelling a chemical pheromone released in their sweat, according to researchers who have investigated the underarm secretions of petrified skydivers.
When stressed, your body secretes an odorless white, milky fluid consisting of water, proteins and fats. Once the fluid mixes with natural bacteria on your skin, the bacteria eat sweat and produce a foul-smelling waste you know as B.O. These glands produce stress-induced sweat — which is why stress sweat smells extra.
Reason #1: Stress
And when we're stressed, or even anxious or nervous, we're more likely to sweat, which indirectly impacts how we smell.
It doesn't happen to everyone, but some people find that their body odor appears to significantly change when they have anxiety. This change may be subtle or may occur to a degree that they feel more anxious in social situations due to fear of developing a noticeable odor.
Several conditions may cause a bad smell in the nose, including sinusitis, tooth/ mouth infections, dry mouth, some medications, some foods/drinks, and olfactory damage. Typically, a bad smell in the nose is not life-threatening but can decrease the quality of life.
Phantosmia is a condition that causes you to detect smells that aren't actually in your environment. It can happen in one nostril or both — and the odors may be foul or pleasant. Common causes include colds, allergies, nasal polyps and dental issues.
If you're worried you're one of these people, one trick is to lick your wrist, wait ten seconds, then sniff the patch you licked: If it smells, chances are, so does your breath. An even more reliable method, of course, is simply to ask someone.
It explains that anxiety causes 'crossed wires' between the part of the brain that processes smells and that which processes emotions. Therefore, if someone is feeling depressed, things tend to smell worse too.
What Does Fear Smell Like? Actually, Nothing At All.
Phantosmia may be caused by a head injury or upper respiratory infection. It can also be caused by aging, trauma, temporal lobe seizures, inflamed sinuses, brain tumors, certain medications and Parkinson's disease. Phantosmia can also result from COVID-19 infection.
The scent of a romantic partner can help lower stress levels, new psychology research have found. Women feel calmer after being exposed to their male partner's scent, but being exposed to a stranger's scent had the opposite effect and raised levels of the stress hormone, cortisol.
Phantom Smell
Phantosmia, which is an olfactory hallucination, sometimes occurs with anxiety. It can cause you to smell something that isn't there, or rather, a neutral smell becomes unpleasant.
In fact, researchers suggest that the smell of a loved one can produce biochemical changes, including reduced cortisol levels, reflecting the reduced stress they feel.
Parosmia is a distorted sense of smell. Things that used to smell pleasant now smell foul to people with parosmia. People get parosmia for many reasons, including infections, medications and trauma. You can't always prevent it, but in most cases, it's temporary.
Ask to speak in private. Be direct (“I'm not sure if you're aware of this but you have a strong odor about you.”) Reserve judgment ( “I don't know if it's from your clothing or if it's a personal hygiene issue.”) Open the conversation (“Are you aware of this issue?
Olfactory reference syndrome (ORS), also known as olfactory reference disorder, is an underrecognized and often severe condition that has similarities to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). People with ORS think they smell bad, but in reality they don't.
Does stress sweat smell? Apocrine sweat has more nutrients than eccrine sweat, which is mainly just salt and water. Nutrients make apocrine sweat more attractive to the body odor-causing bacteria that naturally live on our skin and feed on our sweat. As a result, stress sweat sometimes smells worse.
You're sweating more than usual.
"When we sweat, natural bacteria on our skin breaks down the perspiration into thioalcohols, [so] the body odor we notice is thanks to bacteria interacting with our sweat," explains Shein.
Stress—also known as psychological stress—describes what people experience when they are under mental, physical, or emotional pressure. Stressors—factors that can cause stress—can arise from people's daily responsibilities and routines, including work, family, and finances.
When a cancer starts specifically in the nerves that affect your sense of smell, it is known as olfactory neuroblastoma.
If you notice phantom smells, talk to your doctor about it. They may do a thorough physical exam and ask about your medical history to make sure you don't have another underlying cause, like a brain tumor. Doctors may also have to rule out another similar smell disorder called parosmia.