The scent of Love

Smell has a lot to do with dating attraction. He believes people exude a human pheromone of sorts, functioning as an attractant of the opposite sex. But since pheromone receptors have not yet been found in humans, what scent does attract us?

Some women believe perfume is an attractant, so they slather themselves with it. They don’t realize that most men abhor being with a woman who reeks, no matter how expensive the perfume. (Men can go overboard with cologne as well.)

In the 1992 film Scent of a Woman Al Pacino’s blind character is drawn to the woman he wants to tango with by her smell. This was so powerful, it became the title of the movie.

I’ve always thought a whiff of a subtle fragrance was appealing. The idea is to emit an alluring aroma that entices my date to get nearer. Once at the end of a first date, my dining companion and I hugged goodbye. When we disengaged, I noticed his eyes were closed and he took a deep whiff. “I love how you smell, ” he whispered.

I’ve wondered what scents that would be irresistible wafting toward my date’s nose. My ex loved vanilla, so I’d raid the kitchen cabinet and dab a bit behind my ears when I wanted to drive him crazy. Now I’ve come upon a different universally drool-inducing smell that gets most everyone’s attention. But I can’t find it in toilet water form. What is it?

Fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies.

When you pass a Mrs. Fields store, doesn’t the smell — which is purposefully fanned into the corridors — beckon you, just as the Sirens to Odysseus? Don’t you want to stop and buy, or at the minimum, just enjoy the smell? Most people do.

So why doesn’t someone package that smell? It would ensure you’d be followed by men — and probably some women — like a fish monger is trailed by cats. Then you wouldn’t have to worry about going to singles bars, speed dating, or online dating sites. You’d have a parade of men following you and you could merely pick and choose from among the masses.

Of course, you may have trouble shaking the ones you reject. You don’t want to encourage stalkers just because your scent is irresistible. Maybe you could carry a skunk scent aerosol can to spray behind the man/men you’ve chosen, to separate them from the riff raff.

So, I’ll let you know when I’ve developed eau de chocolate chip cookie. I’m sure you’ll want to buy it by the gallon.

(Epilogue: I was at a conference a few days after I posted this and discussed this concept with a male flirt buddy. He said he’d definitely be driven crazy by eau de chocolate chip cookie. Serendipitously, a few minutes later the afternoon break refreshments arrived — chocolate chip cookies. I took one over to him and rubbed it clearly on my neck. He took the bait and started nibbling away — on my neck, not the cookie!)
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