The distinctive "old person smell" you may have picked up on when visiting your grandparents most likely wasn't your imagination, a new study indicates.












He cautioned that while the participants did appear able to distinguish the elderly body odor, discriminating between age categories and correctly labeling odors from the elderly, they did not demonstrate a strong talent for it and showed low confidence in their abilities. [Personality Traits Affect How We Smell






So far, scientists can only speculate on why this apparent signal for old age exists. Research in other animals indicates that such an odor may act as a sign of the "good genes" that have allowed a male to live into old age, making him more attractive to females. It's also possible the distinctive odor is not a direct result of age; for instance, it could be associated with increased inflammation (part of an immune response) within the bodies of the elderly, Lundström said.




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