Human and Animal Olfactory Capabilities Compared

Abstract

Humans are traditionally considered to have a poorly developed sense of smell that is clearly inferior to that of nonhuman animals. This view, however, is mainly based on an interpretation of neuroanatomical and recent genetic findings, and not on physiological or behavioral evidence. An increasing number of studies now suggest that the human sense of smell is much better than previously thought and that olfaction plays a significant role in regulating a wide variety of human behaviors. This chapter, therefore, aims at summarizing the current knowledge about human olfactory capabilities and compares them to those of animals.