Do You Smell? Use This Trick to Find Out

Ever been around someone who just stinks? And they don’t know it?

Maybe it’s you.

I’m not talking about job-related smelliness, like working in a kitchen or on a dump truck (I did catering for years, I know how bad you can stink when you’re done with certain jobs). I’m talking about the dreaded B.O.

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If you had a bad case of body odor, you’d do what you could to take care of it: more showers, new deodorant, bathing in a tub of scented flowers, etc.

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Well, it turns out the problem is that most people can’t actually smell themselves. According to Patrick Allan of Lifehacker, “The receptors in your nose that would normally respond to your own particular brand of smells practically shut down after being bombarded with the same scents for so long. Basically, your nose goes numb to your own stank so you don’t go mad.”

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This is also why you can’t smell your own home. Your nose adapts quickly and takes a long time to reset. So maybe you do smell. Maybe you’re offending your friends and family on a daily basis, but they’re too polite to let you know.

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Well, now there’s a surefire way to find out if you stink to High Heaven, and it’s super easy. All you have to do is take a big, long whiff of a cup of coffee.

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Patrick Allan says,

Coffee … is a strong, single-scent component that gives the receptors in your nose a quick break from what it’s been smelling all day (you). That’s why department stores keep coffee beans handy in the perfume section. You can smell a perfume, reset with some coffee, then smell a different perfume. Coffee is also easy to access for most people. It’s in the break room of almost every type of workplace, and it’s easy to snag a little before stealing away to smell yourself.

So if you’re feeling insecure today about your scent, now you have the perfect fix. Now get out there and have a great, B.O.-free day!