A study has found that women with a good sense smell are meant to have a thriving social life, as well as having good overall mental and physical health.

The report, which was published in Scientific reports, said that the decline in the sense of smell in elderly women may affect their social life and lead to fewer social connections.

“Our findings confirm that the sense of smell is a key aspect of overall health in the ageing population,” said Johan Lundstrom, neuroscientist at the Monell Chemical Senses Center, a US based non-profit scientific institute.

“We know that social interactions are closely linked to health status, so older women who have a poor sense of smell may want to focus on maintaining a vital social life to help improve their overall mental and physical health,” added Sanne Boesveldt, Assistant Professor at Wageningen University & Research in Netherlands.

However, this is not the case for older men.

The study analysed 3,005 adults in US between the ages of 57 and 85, and looked at the participants’ social lives.

However, it is not clear exactly how the link between the sense of smell and social life is connected, researchers said.

Source :Al Arabiya