How macho men have a heavenly scent all of their own

By ROGER DOBSON FOR THE MAIL ON SUNDAY and FIONA MACRAE FOR THE DAILY MAIL
Updated:

It is often said that horses sweat, men perspire and women glow.

But real men have a smell all of their own.

Macho men have a different type of body odour to others, research has found.

Heavenly scent: Research says that macho man's unique smell is arousing for women

Heavenly scent: Research says that macho man's unique smell is arousing for women

It is thought the phenomenon helps women sniff out alpha males, in the belief they will provide them with healthy children.

The scented signal may also provide wimps with a subtle warning that there is a superior male nearby who is not to be messed with.

German psychologists behind the findings studied the link between a man’s sweat and his level of aggression, which is critical to the survival of a species.

They attached cotton armpit pads to badminton players during an important tournament and did the same to a group of men running non-competitively.

Women volunteers said the smell of both sweat samples was ‘mildly unpleasant’.

However sophisticated tests on the womens’ skin found they were more aroused by the badminton players’ sweat, with anxious women the most sensitive.

The researchers from Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, said exactly what makes the smells of competitive men more attractive is unknown.

But hormones and increased testosterone levels during ‘dominant behaviour’ are thought to play a role.

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