The nose...knows.

[Puck]

In the Parade magazine in the paper today, in Ask Marilyn, there's a small inset that talks about the Grunebrug ganglion, a bundle of nerve cells in the tip of the nose of mammals.

There's an online article here about it:
http://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/content/full/211/23/v

And the idea that first came to mind when I read this inset in the paper, was, could this explain some part of a serial killers behaviour? In some unconscious way, is a killer, or even an abuser for that matter, getting something out of the fear pheromones of their victims. If so, could removing that bundle curb overly aggressive behaviour in some violent people?

[Alethias]

Intriguing. I have an extremely sensitive sense of smell, and I tend to see myself as empathetic towards others emotions. I've seen the two as disconnected. This article seems to hint that maybe they are not.

[Oolon Colluphid]

Conversely, I've had complete anosmia since I was two, when the flu epidemic of '68 knackered my olfactory nerve. And I'm generally not as attuned to others' emotions as others -- nowhere near the autistic spectrum (I've wondered, and checked), but I just don't seem to pick up on things with the sensitivity others achieve. Perhaps what I'm not picking up on is their pheromones...?

[alien billie]

And I'm generally not as attuned to others' emotions as others -- nowhere near the autistic spectrum (I've wondered, and checked), but I just don't seem to pick up on things with the sensitivity others achieve. Perhaps what I'm not picking up on is their pheromones...?

No, that's perfectly normal paranoia. Everyone in the universe gets that.

;)

[Christina]

Intriguing. I have an extremely sensitive sense of smell, and I tend to see myself as empathetic towards others emotions. I've seen the two as disconnected. This article seems to hint that maybe they are not.

Me too, but there may be a whole lot of other factors at work with me. I smell (real) things that others can't, or at least not until they get much stronger, and I'm empathetic to the point of dysfunctional sometimes.

[Moriah Conquering Wind]

Intriguing. I have an extremely sensitive sense of smell, and I tend to see myself as empathetic towards others emotions. I've seen the two as disconnected. This article seems to hint that maybe they are not.
Wow, that would explain a lot. Have a keen sense of smell that cannot even be smoked away, try as we might. :o This sense includes, but not limited to, being able to detect the odor of specific types of weather approaching, human emotions (grief has a particularly sour smell), menses and other odor signals from others, and spirits present (if you believe in that sort of thing, if not, feel free to play with the term allegorically).

Empathy has been nearly beaten out of this one in life, but we did start out that way, keenly empathetic and aware of others' feelings and needs. Being told repeatedly this awareness did not exist erased most of it. Being "punished" (socially) for acting on it with same/similar abuses as long ago, beat the rest out over time. Better to be seen as oblivious than to take the time to communicate your most heartfelt and be derided as disingenuous. (Sorry, sore spot, not trying to bring drama here.)

[Goldie]

I know I can smell things others can't.
I used to walk in to JDC...my old workplace and wayyyyyy up in the office I'd say... "Pilot light is out."
They didn't believe me...then I'd insist they'd check... Sure enough.
"How they hell did you know that?" they'd ask.

"I can smell it. Can't you???"


And... I am very in tune with others. But I always thought it was body language.

Go figure. :)

[Puck]

For a smoker, my sense of smell is still pretty good, too. I once heard someone say that some folks could smell a rattle snake, and I thought that was foolish. But twice now, I've stopped cold, looked, and sure enough, there would be a rattler. I didn't have them on my mind ahead of time, but something made me stop what I was doing and look right at it in the brush. So maybe there is something to it after all.

The thing about the article that strikes me though, is how much fear pheromones an abuser might be picking up on? For example, would it make more sense to talk about removing this bundle of nerves from say, a rapist, as opposed to talking about chemical castration?

[Moriah Conquering Wind]

Abusers seem to pick up on a variety of things, fear being only one and not even necessarily the jackpot for some, who prefer other forms of distress or pain or even, in some cases, sense that the prey has "a fight in them". Different abusers "get off" on different things, it seems.