“I have a really acute sense of smell”

[INXS]

I know it’s not something anyone can do anything about. But whenever I hear a statement like the one in the title, it sort of sounds like the person with the nose like a bloodhound is secretly quite proud of their extra special abilities to detect cigarette smoke from one hundred paces, or the smell of someone else’s unwashed bra.

But I don’t like the idea of people who are, unbeknownst to us norms, secretly revolted by everyone around them. That they know that I ate a curry last night, and are resentful that I was so rude as to eat something with spices the day before going out in public (I actually read that on here). That my house stinks to them, or that they have to scrub their house after I’ve been to visit.

AIBU to dislike the idea of someone else having a supernatural sense of smell?! It makes me not want to be around them!

[RestingGrinchFace]

YABU. We can't help it. We were born like this, nothing that we ever do can change it. You might as well be bashing us for having red hair of brown eyes.

[Judydreamsofhorses]

I read somewhere that if one of your senses is dud, another becomes hyper-sensitive - I am really short-sighted, and have a nose like a bloodhound. (No idea if that’s truly connected.)

[INXS]

“If someone said this to me, I’d take their subtle hint on board.”

And do what about it? That’s the problem. I could spend my life showering multiple times a day, ensuring that my hair never went for more than 24 hours without being triple washed, brush my teeth thrice after every meal, add bleach to my washing machine, eschew perfume (because they don’t like that either) and I would still probably be offending someone because I hadn’t soaked my shoes in zoflora the night before, or something.

[INXS]

“I can smell when anyone has their period.”

See, this terrifies me! Good god, yet another thing that never occurred to me.

Sympathy though Maiden that sounds very tough!

[MonumentalAlabaster]

My acute sense of smell is the stuff of family legend. If I say "can anyone else smell burning?" they all chorus "no" and roll their eyes, but within 10 minutes they can smell it too and smoke is found to be billowing out of something electrical. But I'm not proud of it - in fact, I sometimes wish I didn't have it. If DH has had peanut butter on toast (I loathe peanut butter with a vengeance) and I return home an hour later, I can detect it the moment I walk through the door.

[abouttimeforanotherone]

An acute sense of smell does come in handy sometimes - I could faintly smell gas in our house once, and when the gas people came out they said it was a very small leak and their sniffing-gas instruments were only just picking it up. They were amazed that I had been able to smell it, but I'm rather glad that I could.

I've also had the water board out to test for too much chlorine in our tap water (it smelt really strong to me but it was within normal range), and they were rather surprised I could tell the difference between 2 parts per million and 3. I'm a freak apparently

Now I'm older and get sinusitis a lot I've lost the ability, but I used to be able to smell whether it was going to snow or not.

I still avoid the perfume department in shops though, it is totally overwhelming and makes me feel ill, and I can smell a branch of Lush from several hundred yards away!

[muffyduffster]

It's a mixed blessing (but I'm not rude about other people!)
I did have a friend get grumpy with me when I was much better at saying what I could smell in our wine tasting class (because he lives in Bordeaux and thinks he should be better!)
When I was pregnant I threw up in the dishwasher because something smelt slightly iffy... I also had to leave the house when DH was cooking lamb

[FindoGask]

"I can smell when anyone has their period."

that is genuinely horrifying.

[ScrambledSmegs]

I had an amazing sense of smell when pregnant, unfortunately it made me permanently nauseous for nearly 9 months. It hasn’t truly gone back to normal but I’m thankful it lessened. I rather feel for people who have it all the time, it must be hell.

However people who use it to shame others are wankers.

[VladmirsPoutine]

Someone on a thread once wrote that they could smell when someone was pregnant.

[Strummerville]

I have no sense of smell at all, so even ordinary smellers appear to have superpowers to me

I am very jealous of all of you. I would happily take all of the bad smells in the world if I could also sample the good ones.

[theymademejoin]

Try this top see are you a super smeller fun-science.org.uk/smell-test-experiment/

And if you are, you can put it to good use like this woman who uses it to diagnose Parkinson's disease

www.good.is/articles/smell-diagnosis-supersmellers-disease-parkinsons-joy-milne

[Ecureuil]

I can’t buy anything from a shop (clothes, etc) if if doesn’t smell right.

[ScrambledSmegs]

I can smell when members of my family are coming down with a cold/bug, even before their symptoms emerge. But that’s normal, right?

[Ecureuil]

ScrambledSmegs yes, I can always smell when someone in my house is getting ill. Each family member has a different ill smell. I can smell when they’re getting better too.

[theymademejoin]

@abouttimeforanotherone - but I used to be able to smell whether it was going to snow or not.

I can smell when it's going to rain.

[Bubblebubblepop]

I've never really thought about it until now but just realised I don't really believe people when they say this. I think they just concentrate more on how things smell than other people might? Also a lot of people who claim this seem to be overly horrified by other people which sort of backs up my theory

[allegretto]

I can smell when my smoker colleague is in the next room. I don't tell her though although am secretly glad we don't share an office

[AnneLovesGilbert]

I’ve been cursed by super smell since being pregnant and it’s fucking awful. Most things smell awful so when you smell things more than normal it’s literally like a curse. I’m just glad it’s not as bad as some people on here have

I’ve given up wondering if it’ll ever go.

[Ecureuil]

I’m not overly horrified by anyone! Im a very tolerant, accepting person .
I don’t think I concentrate on how things smell. It’s just.... there. In fact I try and ignore it as much as possible.

[TaliZorahVasNormandy]

I once smelled someones indian food before they even stepped into the building.

I also smell blue tack a lot, even thought there's none around. Not sure what it means.

[lettuceWrap]

I have an acute sense of smell and I SUFFER from it, it’s no gift to be able to smell last nights food smells on people’s (clean) sweat, or their unwashed hands/hair/mouldy clothes, cigarette smells etc. It makes me feel physically ill.
Scrambled, no, I don’t think it’s particularly normal, but I can do that too. DH (a dr) says he’s know a few nurses over the years who could identify different illness by the smell on the breath and skin of the ill person. All were female (I think more females have this super taster/smeller “gift”).

[Justanotherlurker]

I once smelled someones indian food before they even stepped into the building.

Isn't that related to memory trigger?

I also smell blue tack a lot, even thought there's none around. Not sure what it means.

Your mum might have a story about when you was younger that you're unaware of

[MaidenMotherCrone]

God I wish I was imagining it or making it up.

[FlaviaAlbia]

I have one but I don't tell people though unless it's to explain why I know something is happening iyswim. Otherwise they either don't belive you or think you're trying to tell them something.

It does mean I cycle rather than take the bus, it's not that people smell bad, just strongly. Whether the smell is perfume, smoke or last nights dinner doesn't really make a difference.