Who we choose to befriend is highly personal, driven by idiosyncratic preferences about individuals, including sensory cues—and a new study reveals that women can subconsciously judge potential friendship compatibility based on scent during first-time meetings. Researchers found that a person’s everyday odor—captured on a worn T-shirt—predicted how much they were liked after short face-to-face conversations. The study leaned into the idea that people actively shape their signature scent through the many choices they make every day–what’s known as their “diplomatic” odor—such as beauty products and detergents. The judgements were highly personal; everybody showed that they had a consistent signature that they liked, and these preferences held across individuals’ assessments of others.
