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Hate the smell of BO? You May Be Xenophobic: Bizarre Study Shows People Sensitive To Disgusting Scents Are More Likely To Have Negative Attitudes Towards Migrants
- Aversion to the smell of feces, sweat and urine can be associated with xenophobia
- Scientists claim that avoiding disgusting odors is a natural mechanism
- But if that gains momentum, it could lead to hostility towards refugees
Bizarre new research claims that people with a sensitive nose to disgusting odors are more likely to be xenophobic.
In a study in nine countries, scientists have linked an aversion to sweating, bad breath and smelly feet to an increased aversion to refugees.
Avoiding odors is a natural mechanism that helps us avoid disease, experts from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm explain.
But working in overdrive can lead to animosity towards refugees who are believed to have done so ‘uneven’ hygiene and dietary habits.
“People who are more easily disgusted by body odor are also more likely to have a negative attitude towards refugees,” the scientists wrote.
Aversion to the smell of feces, sweat and urine may be linked to xenophobia, study claims
In a study in nine different countries, scientists examined participants’ opinions about refugees. Pictured: Newly arrived Somali refugees in the Dadaab refugee camp
“As in previous work prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, this relationship was partly explained by the outgroup’s perceived disparity in norms related to basic practices such as food preparation and hygiene.”
Nearly 7,000 participants took part in the survey which examined opinions in the UK, New Zealand, Canada, Nigeria, Kenya, Hong Kong, Chile, Italy and Sweden.
When assessing sensitivity to body odor, participants were asked to rank odors on a scale of one to five of perceived disgust.
Human odors such as sweat, urine, feet, gas, breath, upper body sweat and feces were included in the study.
These have been incorporated into different scenarios such as: ‘You are home alone and notice that your feet smell strongly’, and ‘You are sitting next to them and notice that their feet smell strongly’.
A fictional scenario was then used to assess attitudes towards a fictional group known as the ‘Drashnean refugees’.
Researchers outlined a situation where the Drashnean group from East Africa or Eastern Europe had “experienced a lot of civil unrest” in recent years.
They explained, “As a result of these conditions, many people are trying to leave this country.
“A large number of these refugees want to emigrate to your country.”
Participants then answered numerous questions about the group, taking into account food, hygiene and sanitation practices.
One question asked how much they “agreed that Drashneans could bring health problems” to the country, while another looked at potential crime.
The results showed that the participants who scored high on sensitivity to disgusting odors were more likely to have a negative attitude towards migrants.
Experts argue that their results “support a theoretical idea of how pathogen avoidance is associated with social attitudes.”
They said: ‘This key finding was observed in a diverse sample from nine countries around the world and was similar for attitudes towards refugees from East Africa and Eastern Europe.
“Our results support the theoretical view that traditional norms protect against pathogens and that outgroups are viewed negatively in part because they are seen as challenging these norms.”