Friends at First Sniff: Smell Preferences Predict People’s Friendship Potential

Learn about the role of olfaction in friendship, which indicates that finding a friend is, at least in some sense, related to smell.

By Sam Walters
Apr 21, 2025 9:45 PMApr 21, 2025 9:38 PM
Smell test perfume with friends
(Image Credit: Flotsam/Shutterstock)

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When you meet a stranger for the first time, how do you judge your potential to be friends? Is it their personality? Their style? Their smile? According to a new study in Scientific Reports, scent might have something to do with it, as smell preferences can predict whether people see each other as potential friends.

“People take a lot in when they’re meeting face to face. But scent — which people are registering at some level, though probably not consciously — forecasts whether you end up liking this person,” said Vivian Zayas, a study author and a professor of psychology at Cornell University, according to a press release.


Read More: People Are Drawn To Others With Similar Body Odor

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