Women have used perfume to turn men on for generations. They go out and buy the $200 or $300 bottles of perfume in hopes of getting their men aroused. Indeed, there is a correlation between scents and arousal, but is perfume the best way to get your man’s blood flowing? According to recent studies, no. The key to getting your man in the mood is something you may not even consider in a million years: the scent of pumpkins.
Sure, this may seem to be an incredible surprise, considering that pumpkins are not commonly associated with sensuality; however, a study conducted by the Chicago-based Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation, men are easily aroused by the scent of the faceless jack-o-lantern, when coupled with lavender.
Conducted by Dr. Alan Hirsch and Dr. Jason Gruss, the study consisted of 24 different scents exposed to blind-folded men, aged 18 to 42. The results were astonishing: men who were exposed to the scent of pumpkin saw their arousal increase by 40 percent when it was combined with lavender (arousal was measured by the amount of blood flow to the penis). This was the largest increase of any scent combination in the study. Surprisingly, perfumes were way down on the list, with only an increase of three percent.
The original purpose of the study, according to Hirsch and Gruss, was to see the affects of specific odors to those who have lost their sense of smell as a result of head trauma. The study also showed that those who have lost their sense of smell also lost their sexual appetite, and the two doctors wanted to prove that a connection between sexual functions and the efficacy of the sense of smell.
Hirsch stated that he has no idea why pumpkins work so well to arouse men. Perhaps, he theorized, the smell of pumpkins reminds men of their childhood and as a result, makes them feel more relaxed and secure.
The silver medal in the study went to the scent combination of doughnuts and black licorice, while third place went to the combination of pumpkin pie and doughnuts. Fourth place was given to the scent of oranges, while the top five was rounded off by the combination of cola and popcorn.
So, fill your man’s belly with pumpkin pie with a hint of lavender, followed by a nice, healthy entrée of doughnuts and licorice. He may not look as good as he did before, but he’ll surely be in the mood!
The prize for the lowest arousing odor went to the cranberry, although some arousal was detected. Apparently, according to the study, age plays a fairly large factor in arousal. For example, older men were more aroused to the scent of vanilla than younger men.
Even the lowest ranked food created some sort of sexual response from the subjects, suggesting that men are quite easily aroused by smells. This should be comforting to women who are finding it difficult to prepare sexual arousing foods. Don’t despair; essentially all foods will make a man in the mood for love!
