Babies smell wonderful, teenagers do not

Our department at the Ig Nobel Prize ceremony

Ilona Croy and Agnieska Sorokowska at the traditional paper aeroplane-making session held to mark the Ig Nobel Prize ceremony

Image: Rosemary Zittel-Stull
Ilona Croy and Agnieska Sorokowska at the traditional paper aeroplane-making session held to mark the Ig Nobel Prize ceremony

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The familiar smell of one’s own child: parents perceive their children’s body odour as particularly pleasant – although this perception changes as the child gets older.

The familiar smell of one’s own child: parents perceive their children’s body odour as particularly pleasant – although this perception changes as the child gets older.

Image: Anne Günther (Uni Jena)

Every year, the Ig Nobel Prize highlights research that may seem curious at first glance but then gives food for thought. The jury found a study with these characteristics in the paper "External linkBabies smell wonderful to their parents, teenagers do not: An exploratory questionnaire study on children’s age and personal odour ratings in a Polish sample"External link, in which Prof. Ilona Croy is involved. The research team investigated how parents perceive the smell of their children. In doing so, they were able to demonstrate a correlation between odour preference and the age of the children.

We would like to extend our warmest congratulations to Prof. Ilona Croy and the rest of the research team on this award! Further information on the study and the award ceremony can be found here de.