What are your favourite sounds and smells?

[Anne D.]

my grandma's house (woodsmoke, frying bacon or liver), fresh coffee, fallen autumn leaves, pipe tobacco, my boy cat's gingivitis-y fishy breath, certain people's sweat

Do you know why you are attracted to only certain peoples' sweat?

I saw an interesting documentary about immune systems. We appear to find the smells of people with complementary immune systems to our own attractive. This, presumably, is to help pass on a more rounded 'set' of immunities in reproduction. Just though you should know...

Yes, I would guess that's the reason. I read an article several years ago about this; can't remember where. Found this page just now that talks about the study: http://www.eoht.info/page/Sweaty+T-shirt+study

All I know personally is that when I'm among sweaty people at the gym, some people's sweat (and the person may be male or female) smells strong but quite pleasant in a musky way, while others' is strong but really unpleasant.

Not surprisingly, I very much like the smell of Mr. D.

Although if what Pudding posted is true, I'm just kidding myself that I'm able to discern anything sniffer-wise.

[Anne D.]

So as not to further derail:

the smell of used book stores and of just-finished laundry that's been dried with the poisonous fabric-softener sheets

[Harmonie]

I thought of a new smell that I love - the smell of cedar wood.

[Siz]

So as not to further derail:

the smell of used book stores and of just-finished laundry that's been dried with the poisonous fabric-softener sheets

Nah, let's chat some more about Annes sexual habits...

[DeterminedJuliet]

Do you know why you are attracted to only certain peoples' sweat?

I probably heard a similar thing, contraceptive pills apparently make bad smelling males impossible to discern.  An unfortunate female may commit to a smelly guy, later go off the the pill and find his stench totally unacceptable.  Moral of the story was sniff out potential mates whilst pill free and not olfactorily challenged. 

This is true! When I was on the pill, my husband didn't smell quite "right".

[Ali]

That's really interesting.  I do love the way my husband smells. 

[The Magic Pudding]

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/scienceshow/is-monogamy-unnatural3f/3818274

Christopher Ryan: Well, if there's an ebbing it's due to the pressures of domesticity, it's certainly not a biological phenomenon. I'll tell you one thing, ebbing does happen in some couples. There is a very important study done by Claus Wedekind in Switzerland years ago, he wanted to understand why is it that women's sense of smell is so much stronger than men's. There must be some reason, there must be some important information that women are picking up from smell. Because to guys like us sitting in a bar talking about women, we don't talk about how good they smell, it's just a non-issue for most men, whereas women, if a guy could be George Clooney, but if he smells wrong it is a deal-breaker, forget about it.

So he wanted to understand what is going on here. He found men who were very low in one aspect of their immune response, I won't get into the technicalities, but let's say there are five different elements in the immune system, major histocompatibility complex it's called. And so he would find a man who was low in number one but okay in the others, and another man low in two but okay in the others, and so on. He had these men wear a T-shirt for three days, no deodorant, no shower, no soap, day and night, put the T-shirt in a Ziploc bag, and then he got women volunteers who also had these deficiencies in their immune response. His theory was that the women would never find the smell of a man attractive if he was low in the same thing she was because then they would likely have unhealthier babies.

He found 80% of the women chose exactly as anticipated, completely backed up his hypothesis. But 20% of the women, roughly, seemed to choose randomly. They weren't choosing the opposite, they weren't...he couldn't figure out what the pattern was. He ran the test again, same results. Then he went back and asked the women if they were taking birth control pills. The women who chose randomly were on the pill. So the pill apparently interferes with this ability to sense the immune response of a man. So think about how many couples meet each other when the woman is on the pill, they get together, they get married, they have a kid, she is off the pill now, and suddenly he's repulsive!

There is a transcript and audio of this at the link above, I did put a link to it in the Monogamy thread.  It is entertaining, humorous and informative.

[DeterminedJuliet]

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/scienceshow/is-monogamy-unnatural3f/3818274

Christopher Ryan: Well, if there's an ebbing it's due to the pressures of domesticity, it's certainly not a biological phenomenon. I'll tell you one thing, ebbing does happen in some couples. There is a very important study done by Claus Wedekind in Switzerland years ago, he wanted to understand why is it that women's sense of smell is so much stronger than men's. There must be some reason, there must be some important information that women are picking up from smell. Because to guys like us sitting in a bar talking about women, we don't talk about how good they smell, it's just a non-issue for most men, whereas women, if a guy could be George Clooney, but if he smells wrong it is a deal-breaker, forget about it.

So he wanted to understand what is going on here. He found men who were very low in one aspect of their immune response, I won't get into the technicalities, but let's say there are five different elements in the immune system, major histocompatibility complex it's called. And so he would find a man who was low in number one but okay in the others, and another man low in two but okay in the others, and so on. He had these men wear a T-shirt for three days, no deodorant, no shower, no soap, day and night, put the T-shirt in a Ziploc bag, and then he got women volunteers who also had these deficiencies in their immune response. His theory was that the women would never find the smell of a man attractive if he was low in the same thing she was because then they would likely have unhealthier babies.

He found 80% of the women chose exactly as anticipated, completely backed up his hypothesis. But 20% of the women, roughly, seemed to choose randomly. They weren't choosing the opposite, they weren't...he couldn't figure out what the pattern was. He ran the test again, same results. Then he went back and asked the women if they were taking birth control pills. The women who chose randomly were on the pill. So the pill apparently interferes with this ability to sense the immune response of a man. So think about how many couples meet each other when the woman is on the pill, they get together, they get married, they have a kid, she is off the pill now, and suddenly he's repulsive!

There is a transcript and audio of this at the link above, I did put a link to it in the Monogamy thread.  It is entertaining, humorous and informative.

Huh! That makes so much sense!
In a weird way, it makes me want to get genetic testing. "Sweetie, I need some of your blood. I'm trying to figure out why I think you smell good."

[Ali]

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/scienceshow/is-monogamy-unnatural3f/3818274

Christopher Ryan: Well, if there's an ebbing it's due to the pressures of domesticity, it's certainly not a biological phenomenon. I'll tell you one thing, ebbing does happen in some couples. There is a very important study done by Claus Wedekind in Switzerland years ago, he wanted to understand why is it that women's sense of smell is so much stronger than men's. There must be some reason, there must be some important information that women are picking up from smell. Because to guys like us sitting in a bar talking about women, we don't talk about how good they smell, it's just a non-issue for most men, whereas women, if a guy could be George Clooney, but if he smells wrong it is a deal-breaker, forget about it.

So he wanted to understand what is going on here. He found men who were very low in one aspect of their immune response, I won't get into the technicalities, but let's say there are five different elements in the immune system, major histocompatibility complex it's called. And so he would find a man who was low in number one but okay in the others, and another man low in two but okay in the others, and so on. He had these men wear a T-shirt for three days, no deodorant, no shower, no soap, day and night, put the T-shirt in a Ziploc bag, and then he got women volunteers who also had these deficiencies in their immune response. His theory was that the women would never find the smell of a man attractive if he was low in the same thing she was because then they would likely have unhealthier babies.

He found 80% of the women chose exactly as anticipated, completely backed up his hypothesis. But 20% of the women, roughly, seemed to choose randomly. They weren't choosing the opposite, they weren't...he couldn't figure out what the pattern was. He ran the test again, same results. Then he went back and asked the women if they were taking birth control pills. The women who chose randomly were on the pill. So the pill apparently interferes with this ability to sense the immune response of a man. So think about how many couples meet each other when the woman is on the pill, they get together, they get married, they have a kid, she is off the pill now, and suddenly he's repulsive!

There is a transcript and audio of this at the link above, I did put a link to it in the Monogamy thread.  It is entertaining, humorous and informative.

*is grateful she cannot tolerate bcps so she always knew what her hubby smells like*

[McQ]

The smell of a decent cigar, the sound of thounderous applause, that smell that saturates the walls in a steakhouse, the sound of a decent engine revving, the smell of an Islay Single malt scotch.

The smell of napalm in the morning...

+1 on the Islay Single Malt.

[xSilverPhinx]

Smell: damp forest floor and the smell of fear (just kidding )

I also love the smell of petrol, which is rather strange, but my brother likes smelling smelly athlete's feet so there are worse things out there...

Sounds: summer showers, the sound of my own blood gushing when I listen to a the inside of a seashell, chalk being crunched (I would stomp on a lot of chalk in my youth) and the sound of metal banging on metal.

[Piratenerforsej]

Sounds: My love sleeping, rain falling, the ocean and guinea pigs when they are happy

Smells: the smell of your love, a rainy forrest and strawberrys

- Rose

[philosoraptor]

Sounds: rain on the windows/roof, the distant sound of the ocean at my in-laws house, seagulls laughing, coffee brewing

Smells: Fizzy Pop incense, lavender and cedarwood, coconut, vanilla beans, steak on the grill, clean laundry that's been dried on a line, honeysuckle on a hot summer night, the wood and sea salt smell of the boardwalk

[Asmodean]

The smell of road works (bitumen, I guess)

The sound of a heater fan.

[ThinkAnarchy]

Sound: Flowing water.

Smell: Chocolate chip cookies in the oven and cigars.