A 2014 study by researchers from Brazil found that men and women have different sense of smell, and women have a better sense of smell than men.
The researchers included a team from the University of Sao Paolo, the University of California and the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paolo. They discovered that women have 43% more cells in the olfactory bulbs of the brain than men. The olfactory bulb is the first part in the olfactory brain region to detect information passed by the nostril.
To conduct the study, the researchers examined post-mortem brains from 7 men and 11 women who were above 55 years at the time of their death.
All the individuals used for the research were healthy neurologically, and haven’t worked in professions that require higher sense of smell.
The researchers used a machine called isotropic fractionator (a device which measures the number of cells in a given brain structure) to carry out the research.
Scientists suggest that women are born with more brain cells due to the fact that only few cells are added to the brain all through life.
According to Professor Roberto Lent from the Institute of Biomedical Sciences at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro; “larger brains with larger numbers of neurons correlate with the functional complexity provided by these brains.
“Thus, it makes sense to think that more neurons in the female olfactory bulbs would provide women with higher olfactory sensitivity”.
The researchers suggest that sex differences in olfactory detection may play a role in differentiated social behaviours and may be connected to one’s perception of smell, which is naturally linked to associated experiences and emotions.
S.O.Z