'Our research suggests that something as simple as taking an article of clothing that was worn by your loved one could help lower stress levels when you're far from home. High quality, built-to-last, t-shirt ethically made from sustainable materials. 'With globalization, people are increasingly traveling for work and moving to new cities,' said Chen. 'This could happen without us being fully aware of it.'įrances Chen, the study's senior author and assistant professor in the UBC department of psychology, said the findings could have practical implications to help people cope with stressful situations when they're away from loved ones. 'From a young age, humans fear strangers, especially strange males, so it is possible that a strange male scent triggers the 'fight or flight' response that leads to elevated cortisol,' said Hofer. The authors speculate that evolutionary factors could influence why the stranger's scent affected cortisol levels. Meanwhile, women who had smelled a stranger's scent had higher cortisol levels throughout the stress test. Those who both smelled their partner's shirt and also correctly identified the scent also had lower levels of cortisol, suggesting that the stress-reducing benefits of a partner's scent are strongest when women know what they're smelling. When we feel deeply stressed or in danger, the fight or flight mechanism in our brain kicks in. They found that women who had smelled their partner's shirt felt less stressed both before and after the stress test. The researchers asked women to act as the 'smellers' because they tend to have a better sense of smell than men. The women underwent a stress test that involved a mock job interview and a mental math task, and also answered questions about their stress levels and provided saliva samples used to measure their cortisol levels.

They were not told which one they had been given.

The women were randomly assigned to smell a T-shirt that was either unworn, or had been worn by their partner or a stranger. In his classic book, The Joy of Homebrewing Charlie reinforces again and again that this is supposed to be a fun hobby so dont sweat the small stuff, enjoy your stuff. In the immortal words of Charlie Papazian, Relax, Dont Worry, Have a Homebrew or RDWHAHB for short. The T-shirts were then frozen to preserve the scent. Relax, Dont Worry, Have a Homebrew Craft Beer T-Shirt. Men were given a clean T-shirt to wear for 24 hours, and were told to refrain from using deodorant and scented body products, smoking and eating certain foods that could affect their scent. 'Our findings suggest that a partner's scent alone, even without their physical presence, can be a powerful tool to help reduce stress.'įor the study, the researchers recruited 96 opposite-sex couples. 'Many people wear their partner's shirt or sleep on their partner's side of the bed when their partner is away, but may not realize why they engage in these behaviours,' said Marlise Hofer, the study's lead author and a graduate student in the UBC department of psychology. Conversely, being exposed to a stranger's scent had the opposite effect and raised levels of the stress hormone, cortisol. The study, published yesterday in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, found women feel calmer after being exposed to their male partner's scent.

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