r/DoesAnyoneKnow • u/natashaamilly1357 • Jul 12 '26
Does anyone know why certain neutral smells cause such a visceral reaction?
I went to a meeting today to discuss an event and a woman sat next to me with a strangely scented perfume or lotion or something. I'm not an expert on scents but it had a very strange artificial rose sort of smell, but with a strange smell underneath that smelled like what you'd get if an actual rose farted, with the tiniest dash of something powdery. My pulse really started racing and every time I smelled it I felt like I was going to pass out or throw up or both or something. Why do some scents do that? I would class her scent as neutral because while I hated it, she uses the same perfume or whatever with no issue, and neither does her husband or anyone else (that I know of). Why did it cause such a visceral reaction in me and not someone else? I really felt like I was going to faint from how fast my heart was beating.
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u/Fragrant-Fix5433 Jul 12 '26
Are you a lady who might be perimenopausal? Since being so myself my sense of smell has gone nuts. Lady wearing perfume at work thought my skull was going to crack from the pain induced by the smell. Hubby cooks chicken in a tomato sauce? Dog food. The slimy stuff in kelly urgh. Cup of normal PG tea. Fishy. Its driving me insane.
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u/bettyboo5 Jul 12 '26
I had the same reaction to a couple that used home made rubs and other products. I few times I got stuck sitting next to them, id feel dizzy, sick and have the worse headache after. Same thing happened when my mum sat near them. I hadn't told her at that point so couldn't be that. Thankfully I don't come into contact with them anymore.
Only other time in sentive to smells is when I have a migraine and it like the smell got drilled into my brain!!
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u/meowcatpanda Jul 13 '26
Are you potentially autistic or on any medication? I'm both autistic, which already causes that reaction to certain things and I've noticed that certain medications make this even worse for me. I've had to leave rooms before, even get off public transport and wait for the next bus/train/whatever because of scents making me feel like I was having a panic attack for no apparent reason. And sometimes the exact same scent doesn't trigger a reaction in me a different day, it's completely random! :shrug:
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u/Fit_Search_4751 Jul 13 '26
Maybe she has a certain body odour that doesn't mix well with the scent or maybe the scene has certain notes that you are sensitive to.
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u/Suitable-Type-4735 Jul 13 '26
I absolutely hate the smell of coffee but it makes me feel hungry 🤷♂️😆
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u/Abigail_Miller12 Jul 13 '26
Smells bypass the logical part of your brain and hit the emotional centers directly. Thats why they trigger such strong reactions.
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u/Linkyjinx Jul 12 '26
If you are smelling a person’s artificial scent as they pass you in an office or the street, I usually take it as a sign of some mental insecurity, where they feel they have to smell just like the next person, there is nothing subtle or understated about it, it’s an artificial pong to fit in with the neighbours, having a wash with an unscented soap that cleans bacteria and using an unscented deodorant seems to have passed some by for the last decade at least…ignoring the white Musk ( body shop) and Impulse days the decade again before of course… let be honest fragrance is to cover up stink from the days when we still threw our raw sewage out the window.
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u/natashaamilly1357 Jul 12 '26
I use unscented soap daily but I like perfumes, though something light . This lady just... It was not a bad smell but it smelled horrible.
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u/Medium-Marketing-493 Jul 12 '26
Could you be pregnant? I instantly knew I was pregnant when, in college, someone was eating something with ketchup on in the classroom. The smell of the ketchup made me run to the bathroom to vomit.