Posted on 07/12/2006 2:00:02 PM PDT by Texaggie79
Scientists find that moms consistently rank the stink of their baby's "number two" as No. 1.
In a new study, 13 mothers were asked to sniff soiled diapers belonging to both their own child and others from an unrelated baby. The women consistently ranked the smell of their own child's feces as less revolting than that of other babies.
This effect persisted even when the diapers were purposely mislabeled. One possible explanation is that the mothers were simply more accustomed to their their baby's stink and therefore found it less repulsive. A more intriguing possibility, the researchers say, is that the mothers' reactions are an evolutionary adaptation allowing them to overcome their natural disgust so that they can properly care for their babies.
The study, led by Trevor Case of Macquarie University in Australia, will be detailed in an upcoming issue of the journal Evolution and Human Behavior.
Disgust helps protect us from things that can make us sick, scientists say, but there are circumstances in which the emotion has to be tempered. The caring of an infant is likely one such instance.
"A mother's disgust at her baby's feces has the potential to obstruct her ability to care for her baby and may even affect the strength of the bond she has with her baby," the researchers write....
(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...
This is the first I've heard of it. How do you know they did that?
If you pay taxes to the Australian government, possibly.
If not, no.
"Was this happily paid for with our tax dollars?"
I think proving, conclusively, that women are required to be the ones who change the poopy diapers is a very valuable piece of information and a service to all mankind.
A similar but unrelated item: 500 managers and executives took part in a double blind study in which it was conclusively determined that each preferred the smell of his own poop, in particular over that of his subordinates...
Oops! I should read where the stories come from. **blush**.
Hmmm.. As the father of three, I know I've cleaned up messes, in diapers and outside of them, without a second thought. But if I had to do this for anyone but my kids, I couldn't do it. No way. I always thought that maybe the mind just blocks any real thought in those situations, so that you do what needs to be done. But maybe this study has hit on the answer -- I could clean up the messes because I found my kids' stuff less revolting.
I'm sure there's something to this.... because my poop smells better than everyone elses too!
Did they note if the mothers breast fed or not?
I'm gonna ask for a grant to study why we all perfer the smell of our own farts.
Who funded this trash?
More "evolutionary" theories?
Ridiculous and disgusting.
Why don't you read the story?
Amen. I mean, how can anyone not read a full article with the word "poop" in the title?
So I guess it's true, the head man thinks his sh*t don't stink.
I've always thought that other people's babies smell funny, even if I'm not changing their dumps.
I don't get it...
Everybody loves their own brand.
It's just a tongue twister we used to say when we were kids. Say it fast.
The nose knows. Animals in huge nesting communities find their own offspring by smell. Seems to me this is another DUH finding by dimwit researchers.
I see what it's trying for but I can say it fine fast.
I'm a pretty smart feller.
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