Engagement in Olfaction-Related Activities is Associated with the Ability of Odor Identification and Odor Awareness

Abstract

Recent research has shown that within-gender variability in olfactory abilities may be linked to sexual orientation, particularly in men, but is better predicted by childhood gender nonconformity. However, whether there could be similar within-gender variability in odor awareness remains unclear. Further, gender differences in olfactory abilities and odor awareness in favor of women have been proposed to be partly related to women’s broader olfactory experience due to their greater engagement in olfaction-related activities. Nevertheless, within-gender variability in odor exposure could also be expected. Therefore, in a sample of 156 men and women (83 non-heterosexual), we aimed to look for between- and within-gender variability in odor awareness and self-reported engagement in specific olfaction-related activities. Secondly, we tested whether interindividual (between- and within-gender) differences in olfactory abilities and odor awareness might be related to experience with odors, assessed in terms of engagement in olfaction-related activities. The results of the present study show that within-gender variability, previously found in some olfactory abilities in men and women, does not seem to extend to odor awareness, and appears to only apply to certain olfaction-related activities. In the total sample, more frequent exposure to a greater variety of potentially intense or novel food odors and flavors in both childhood and adulthood was positively linked to both greater odor awareness and better odor identification. There was also a positive link between female-stereotyped activities in childhood and odor awareness. Our results suggest that long-term everyday experience with odors may be linked to a better ability of odor identification and greater odor awareness, although longitudinal studies are needed to further investigate these associations.