Smells are closely linked to disease and disgust, and studies have shown how the sense of smell transmitsSignals
Participants were offered 16 different scents,including four neutral ones (distilled water, mineral oil, phthalate and propylene glycol) and 12 that are usually disgusting, among them - fermented herring, French cheese, rotten yeast, and scientists used artificial fragrances - a mixture of urine and sweat.
The participants in the experiment themselves assessed the degreeaversion to aromas on a scale from 0 to 100. The scientists also collected electromyographic data on the activity of mimic muscles in response to a particular smell in the experimental subjects. When they tracked exactly how the volunteers felt about certain odors, the researchers again let the volunteers sniff them, and this time they took saliva samples.
They monitored the concentration of necrosis factorTNF-α tumors, as well as secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA). TNF-α is a protein secreted by immune cells in the mouth in response to bacteria, stimulating the body's defenses in preparation for their invasion and destruction. sIgA works in a similar way. It is produced by mucosal cells to prevent bacteria from gaining a foothold.
It turned out that subjective and objectivepeople's attitudes towards certain odors, as well as TNFα levels in saliva, increased immediately after exposure to disgusting odors in a sample of 36 people. Overall, the results of the study suggest a collaboration between behavioral olfactory pathogen avoidance mechanisms mediated by the emotion of disgust and pathogen elimination mechanisms facilitated by inflammatory mediators.
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