The results of a study published in the journal Psychological Science suggest that a woman will respond positively when exposed to the sweat of a man who is in a happy state at the time the sweat is collected.

To put it simply: Happiness is contagious, and if you need a pick-me-up, it may be as close as the nearest armpit.

The researchers collected the body odor “from senders of chemosignals in a happy state” and observed that the odor “induced a facial expression and perceptual-processing style indicative of happiness in the receivers of those signals.”

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How did the researchers even come up with that study?

It’s already been shown that negative emotions can be transferred  via “chemosignals” from one person to another, and they wanted to determine if the reverse were true.

Bottom line: “Our findings suggest that not only negative affect but also a positive state (happiness) can be transferred by means of odors.”

Read more about the study in Time.com.

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Take a Halloween Hike at the Chattahoochee Nature Center on Friday through Sunday and meet animals along the way. (Courtesy of Chattahoochee Nature Center)

Credit: Photo courtesy of Chattahoochee Nature Center

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Peggy Harris (foreground) stocks the shelves at Sandy's IGA, which is the only grocery store in town, Tuesday, October 7, 2025, in Sparta. Hancock County has one of the highest rates of childhood food insecurity in the country. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC