Eat Some Garlic
Researchers from Charles University, the National Institute of Mental Health in the Czech Republic, and the University of Stirling in the United Kingdom conducted a series of studies challenging the belief that the smell of garlic on one’s breath is an instant romance killer. In one study, eight men consumed a slice of bread with cheese and 12 grams of fresh garlic. Another eight ate bread and cheese without garlic. Over the next 12 hours, the men wore cotton pads under their armpits, refraining from using deodorants or fragrances. The following day, 40 women sniffed the pads in a lab setting and evaluated the odor in terms of pleasantness, attractiveness, masculinity, and intensity. Surprisingly, the results indicated that the group who consumed garlic was rated as more pleasant and attractive, but less masculine and intense.