(hope this doesn't sound retarded)

 

My nerdy godfather once told me that you only get bad body odor in your armpits when you're nervous, but that sounds a bit off. Can anyone verify this (or falsify it)?

When your nervous you sweat and the BO is from the bacteria feeding and multiplying in your sweat.

There's one anti-perspirant advert on TV that gives a good idea why as well:

 

It's a gang of drug dealers getting raided by the police, and the leader is all stroppy and angsty - he trys to intimidate pepople to figure out who set them all up and the woman in the gang is all cool and innocent under pressure - not even breaking a sweat.

 

Then the scene changes and we figure out she's really an undercover policewoman with a good anti-perspirant instead.

you only get bad body odor in your armpits when you're nervous,

 

the problem lies in his use of the word "Only".

his argument is clearly false.

Perhaps, though, when one is nervous, their body produces chemicals that add to the foulness of B.O.

that was never stated in his original premiss though.

therefore rthmjohn wins

 

not only that, but the chems produced when nervous (epinephrin and norepinephrin) are broken down internaly and exhibit no smell in themselves or as the breakdown products.

Maybe your godfather is psychic and can see people's auras and not only that but maybe he has that thingy that means he sees colours as smells and so when people are nervous their aura changes colour so when people are calm their aura is one colour and then they're angry it's another colour and when they're nervous it's another colour and that colour smells bad to your godfather so that's why he says that when you're nevous you smell bad because he's really seeing the colour change in your aura but dosn't realise it because maybe it's being ignored by the visual cortex and directly stimulating the olfactory centres instead, or... stuff.

 

Comma? What's a 'comma'?

Hmm when you're nervous you tend to sweat a bit... and when you sweat your armpits tend to smell... =)

 

oh transdecimal, are you a metro by chance? ^-^ you're avatar is rather suggesting

Um, I'm not sure. What does "metro" mean?

 

I don't see how it's *that* suggesting...

Hmm when you're nervous you tend to sweat a bit...

 

as does illness or excersize, or not surprisingly elevated ambient tempreature.

 

hence the "ONLY" word is a fallacy QED

 

btw, what`s a "Metro"?

 

oh transdecimal, are you a metro by chance? ^-^ you're avatar is rather suggesting

btw' date=' what`s a "Metro"?[/quote']

 

Metrosexuals. It's basically heterosexual men that act... well...gay. They show a lot of care about how they look and the type of clothes they buy etc. (for you UK-ians out there, think David Beckham). Anyway, this term is pretty much a martketing technique for coporations in the US.

Oh, well no - I'm not a metrosexual.

A couple times over the weekend i havn't showered and had a little bit of BO going on so the answer is no, it doesn't only happen when your nervous.

A couple times over the weekend i havn't showered and had a little bit of BO going on so the answer is no, it doesn't only happen when your nervous.

 

 

I can remember only two or three instances in my life when I have gotten BO. It's never when I exercise or when I'm nervous. Never did figure out what triggered it. I often smell it on people who exercise, so maybe its a sign of dehydration?

I think the real question is why do people sweat when they are nervous. Part of the fight or flight response, clearly, but why? Is it because the increased heartrate raises body temperature, and perspiration acts to cool you off?

I think the real question is why do people sweat when they are nervous. Part of the fight or flight response, clearly, but why? Is it because the increased heartrate raises body temperature, and perspiration acts to cool you off?

 

But when you are nevous, most of the time your body temperature stays the same, hence the term 'a cold sweat'.