“The smell of fear” turns out to have a foundation in science. All sweat smells—and some sweat screams anxiety to the world, according to a study published in June in PLoS One. “The chemical transfer of anxiety may cause a feeling of discomfort in the perceiver.
Can people smell anxiety?
What’s unfortunate is that anxiety itself can actually create smells that weren’t originally there. That’s because anxiety can cause sweating, which may make your armpits and other areas start to smell more like sweat.
Can you smell adrenaline?
Adrenaline and cortisol (a steroid hormone that helps the body respond to stress) is released into your bloodstream, which then activates the apocrine glands to start sweating. Odor-causing bacteria thrives on the fatty type of sweat produced from the apocrine glands, which creates a very unpleasant odor.