In the intricate tapestry of human social dynamics, nonverbal cues often speak louder than words. Beyond the visible gestures and tonal modulations, recent groundbreaking research from the University of Victoria reveals a subtle yet powerful communicator: scent. This new study, published in Evolution and Human Behaviour, delves into the chemical underpinnings that shape our perceptions of social status, highlighting testosterone’s pivotal role in odor-based social judgments.
Humans have long relied on vocal inflections and body language to assert dominance or command prestige within social hierarchies. A politician, for instance, might project power with a commanding voice and expansive posture, instantly signaling authority. However, the invisible world of chemosignals—the scents emanating from our bodies—also carries information that influences how we perceive and interact with others. Marlise Hofer, postdoctoral researcher at UVic and lead author of the study, brings this fascinating aspect of human communication into new focus by exploring how circulating testosterone levels manifest through body odor and impact social evaluations.
Chemical communication is one of the most ancient and pervasive mechanisms in the animal kingdom. From the territorial scent marks of mice to the complex pheromone trails of insects, odors convey essential information about identity, status, and reproductive fitness. Unlike many mammals, humans engage less conspicuously in overt olfactory signaling, but that does not diminish the role of scent in our social interactions. Prior studies have linked human body odor to emotional states like fear and sickness, and to personality traits such as dominance. The University of Victoria team extended this understanding by asking whether scent also encodes hormonal signals reflective of social rank.
The core of the research involved measuring testosterone, a steroid hormone intricately tied to dominance behaviors in males. Seventy-six male university students participated by providing saliva samples, which served as the quantitative markers of their circulating testosterone. Concurrently, they delivered scent samples via worn undershirts—garments imbued with their unique chemical signatures accumulated over several hours of wear. These shirts then underwent sensory evaluation by a diverse group of nearly eight hundred raters, both men and women, who assessed the odors for perceived dominance, prestige, and odor quality parameters such as intensity, pleasantness, and sexiness.
What emerged was a clear, statistically significant association between higher testosterone concentrations and perceived dominance based on scent alone. Shirts worn by men with elevated testosterone consistently received dominance ratings surpassing those of lower-testosterone donors. Interestingly, the perception of prestige, which relates to voluntary respect earned through admirable qualities rather than coercion, did not show a meaningful correlation with scent cues or hormonal levels. This dichotomy underscores the nuanced ways in which chemical communication interfaces with social cognition—dominance signals are detectable in body odor chemistry, whereas prestige relies more heavily on other behavioral cues.
The study’s rigorous methodology controlled for potential confounders, including odor pleasantness and intensity, as well as demographic factors such as the ethnicity of scent donors and sex of the evaluators. This methodological robustness strengthens the conclusion that testosterone-related scent markers act as honest signals of dominance perception independent of subjective odor desirability or intensity bias. It is an elegant example of evolutionary biology intersecting with psychology, where biochemical markers inform subtle but meaningful social assessments.
This scent-based signaling aligns perfectly with evolutionary theories positioning dominance and prestige as two distinct but complementary strategies humans deploy to navigate status hierarchies. Dominance often entails coercive tactics and intimidation, traits biologically underpinned by testosterone, while prestige involves earned admiration through skills and prosocial behaviors. The discovery that dominance—rather than prestige—is chemically signaled via testosterone-linked odors emphasizes scent’s role as a primal, perhaps subconscious, social currency.
Although the findings offer compelling insights, Marlise Hofer cautions against overgeneralization given the study’s relatively homogenous sample—young male university students—and the controlled laboratory setting. She advocates for future research that expands to more diverse populations, socio-cultural contexts, and ecological conditions to validate and refine understanding of olfactory dominance signaling in real-world social dynamics.
Beyond fundamental science, this research opens avenues for exploring the broader implications of olfactory signals in human health and wellbeing. Hofer’s ongoing work investigates how alterations in the sense of smell—such as those caused by viral infections like COVID-19—can disrupt social functioning and emotional health. The loss or distortion of olfactory cues may impair the subtle communication channels that facilitate trust, intimacy, and group cohesion.
Ultimately, this expanding field acknowledges smell as a vital yet underappreciated sense in the social toolkit. The University of Victoria’s pioneering study underscores that our noses are more than passive receptors—they are active participants in decoding social information encrypted within hormonal chemistries. Understanding the biochemical language of scent not only enriches evolutionary psychology but may also inspire novel interventions to support individuals impacted by olfactory dysfunction, helping them reconnect with the social world through alternative sensory routes.
As we peel back layers of human social behavior, these discoveries remind us that our interactions are shaped by a complex interplay of visible and invisible signals. The potency of body odor as a status cue rooted in testosterone beckons further exploration into how primal biological processes continue to influence our modern social lives, often beneath the level of conscious awareness.
This study, published in Evolution and Human Behaviour, exemplifies the intersection of endocrinology, sensory biology, and social psychology, revealing the olfactory dimension of dominance communication. Future multidisciplinary efforts promise to deepen our grasp of how scent-based cues not only inform individual interactions but also contribute to the broader social architecture spanning human societies.
Subject of Research: People
Article Title: The role of testosterone in odor-based perceptions of social status
News Publication Date: 1-Nov-2025
Web References: DOI Link
Image Credits: University of Victoria
Keywords: Testosterone, body odor, social status, dominance, prestige, chemical signaling, olfaction, human behavior, evolutionary psychology, sensory communication
