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epsilona01 t1_j8gjrzh wrote

Reply to comment by Evrimnn13 in The brain can rapidly detect and process fearful faces that are otherwise invisible to the eye. There appears to be a neural pathway for detection of fear, which operates automatically, outside of conscious awareness. by Wagamaga

Not particularly well, it's like a particularly sharp/sour body odour. Not the kind you get from extended sweating or not washing, but the moment you do smell it, you're fully alert. I assume there is purpose in that.

In Edinburgh, I'd put it down to the sheer number of people. As I looked back on the hole in the crowd where the railings had collapsed once I was away, you could see steam pouring from it as if it was on fire.

The moment I got off the train at Waterloo and it hit me and I knew for certain something was very wrong.

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extropia t1_j8hvdtz wrote

That is really fascinating, especially the part where you describe the alertness it triggers. Anecdotally it does feel like the sweating that happens when one is suddenly scared/anxious seems different, like it suddenly starts seeping out of you without any of the physical work it 'normally' requires to produce.

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Topic_Professional t1_j8idwxq wrote

I smelled it too after a violent robbery at the business I worked at in my early 20s. The only thing I can compare it too aside from body odor is the fishy smell when a dog needs to have their anal glands expressed, although the fear smell wasn’t as fishy awful as the dog.

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