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 why women should change all the soiled diapers.
Thank you for sharing.
And we pay for this 'crap' with our taxes!
Literally!
Bears repeating.
Was this happily paid for with our tax dollars?
That's what she said.....
I'd love to read the research proposal that was submitted on this topic and beat out the competition. And what do you suppose the funding agency was soliciting proposals to study?
I've been changing diapers continuously for the past five years. Call it 6000 diapers, conservatively.
Suffice to say I have no sense of smell left now, at all.
S--- Happens.
too much time on someone's hand
Why did women in the olden days wipe their face with the wet diapers. What chemical enhancement was their in baby urine that made them think their faces would be wrinkle free?
We might assume they were paid to do this (why would they do it otherwise?), and this would definitely be a winner in the all-time "And You Think Your Job Stinks!" category.
mmmmmm where do I sign up for that?
Please!!!
That was one 'image' I didnt' need in my brain!
:0)
It just may be possible that we evolved from that #2.
Countless mutations over a long period of time...hey, who knows?
WAY MORE information than necessary.
Well, I prefer chanel No.5 and White Shoulders on my favorite women...but, to each his own.
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