Well if swiping right based on someone's looks isn't doing it for you anymore, a new trend in California invites you to follow your nose instead.
In major cities including Seattle, Washington D.C., and San Francisco, "pheromone parties" are starting to become a dating trend. What's a pheromone party? Well, let's start with what the crap a pheromone is.
A quick Google search defines a pheromone as "a chemical substance produced and released into the environment by an animal, especially a mammal or an insect, affecting the behavior or physiology of others of its species." So, basically, your natural scent/body odor.
So, what is a "pheromone party"? Well, basically you wear a shirt for a few days so you can stink it up a little. You put it in a bag and go to a party. The idea is for everyone to smell each other's dirty clothes and then pick which scents they were most attracted to. Then, you actually meet face-to-face with the owners of the laundry that didn't repulse you.
Um......EWWW????
Beard Connoisseur makes a valid statement above. It's basically dating for bears. So many other animals are attracted to each other based off of scents, so there's something very primal and basic about the idea of smelling someone's clothes to judge your level of attraction to them. But it also just seems....well...super creepy.
Like, how do you open a conversation after that!?!?! "Oh, hi, I like that your shirt smelled like it had a hint of cheese"? SO WEIRD.
But those that attend them swear by the method. Amy Morse, who organized one of the parties in Washington D.C., says "It's a lovely experience to not visually judge someone - to smell someone before you see them".
A reporter from the Washington Post actually attended one of these parties, and her experience is interesting, to say the least.
All I can say is THANK GOD I'M MARRIED. Tinder already seems stressful enough...if I had to resort to smelling people for love I just think I'd stay home and play video games forever.