Give Up Porn, Just Bake Pies

By Olivia Leigh in Food on Nov 2, 2006 4:00PM

As the carving comes to a close, Chicagoist begins to get excited to enjoy the real joys of pumpkin. From pies to breads to cookies, we love the rich taste of pumpkin and the delicious scents wafting through the air as the cooking commences.

However, guys might want to consider the guests they bring to the Thanksgiving dinner this year, as pumpkin pie combination smells get guys (and their little guys) more aroused than 30 other scents.

Doctors at the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago conducted the research, which was performed on an admittedly small pool of 31 men, aged 18 to 64, by measuring the men’s penile blood flow while they were exposed to different smells. Twenty-four different odorants were used, along with six combinations of two of the most well-liked scents.

One of those combinations, lavender and pumpkin pie, proved to be the most stimulating for men, which increased the blood flow down there by 40 percent. Other scents in the top five included: doughnut and black licorice, pumpkin pie and doughnut, orange, and lavender and doughnut.

Another Thanksgiving favorite, the cranberry, was the least arousing of the scents, only increasing blood flow by two percent.

And ladies, if you’re already off at AllRecipes.com researching pumpkin pie recipes, you may want to consider serving a grapefruit cocktail to go along with it.

Previous research from the Smell and Taste Foundation revealed that men perceive women to be six years younger if they smell of grapefruit. Although the test was performed with a variety of other scents such as banana, broccoli, lavender, and mint, only grapefruit had such results.

So, this fall, be sure you enjoy that slice of pumpkin pie with the apple of your eye. If things go well, maybe you’ll be able to enjoy a breakfast of doughnuts and grapefruits the next day.

Photo from Deiru.