Sex Differences in Olfactory Sensitivity and the Problem of the Generality of Smell Acuity

Abstract

Sex differences in olfactory sensitivity are not an invariably recurring phenomenon. In the present study some factors, possibly involved in inconsistent findings, are investigated. Sensitivity to 5 different odorants was assessed in 112 subjects on 4 different occasions. Sex differences emerged for some odors but not for others, and some explanations for this state of affairs were suggested. There was no effect of the personality dimension of extraversion-introversion. Low correlations among the 5 measures of detectability question the existence of a general factor of sensitivity.

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