The study involved 255 mothers and fathers and found that adults consider the smell of young children more pleasant than that of teenagers.
Sorokowska said the findings may have an evolutionary explanation. The smell of babies may activate the brain’s reward system, encouraging parental care and increasing the chances of a child’s survival.
As children reach puberty, however, changes in their body chemistry may make their smell less attractive to parents, potentially contributing to a loosening of parental care, she said.
The official Ig Nobel Prize ceremony was held on September 3 in Zurich, Switzerland.
"I am very glad that ceremonies like this exist," Sorokowska said. "A little bit of craziness in science is healthy, inspiring and broadens our horizons."
Agnieszka Sorokowska. Photo: Albinfo, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
She said modern research into the sense of smell is becoming increasingly advanced, with some projects resembling science fiction.
As an example, she cited a European project in which she participated that explored whether olfactory signals could be transmitted to the brains of people without a sense of smell, similar in concept to a cochlear implant for hearing.
Sorokowska also studies food neophobia, or reluctance to try unfamiliar foods, in young children.
She said a smell-training experiment involving children ages 4 to 8 improved their ability to identify smells but did not reduce their food neophobia.
Another long-term project, called "Young Adults," is being conducted with the University of Minnesota and funded by Poland’s National Science Centre.
The project focuses in particular on how becoming parents affects romantic relationships and the social and psychological functioning of young couples.
Researchers involved in the project say it could help inform psychological support for young parents and contribute to research into demographic trends.
(sp/gs)
Source: PAP