# Why don't boogers smell bad? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 3, 2011, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-boogers-smell-bad/570081 "2011-02-03T23:20:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2011, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-boogers-smell-bad/570081/1 "2011-02-03T23:20:31Z")
I just noticed this the other day: boogers are odorless. Is this true for everyone, or do just I have mutant boogers? (Not including, of course, when you’re sick.) Follow-up questions: 1. If they have a taste, why not a smell? 2. Do all bodily fluids have a strong smell? Is this an evolutionary advantage? Why the exception with boogers? 3. Is this somehow related to their magical hardening properties? ---
**Author:** ![ticker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@ticker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ticker)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2011, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-boogers-smell-bad/570081/2 "2011-02-03T23:50:58Z")
They are in your nose pretty much all the time to some extent. If they had an odour you would be smelling this all the time, not smelling anything would actually be smelling boogers. Therefore how could you possibly differentiate smelling boogers and not smelling anything at all? ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-boogers-smell-bad/570081/3 "2011-02-04T00:20:56Z")
> [@ticker](#): > > They are in your nose pretty much all the time to some extent. If they had an odour you would be smelling this all the time, not smelling anything would actually be smelling boogers. Therefore how could you possibly differentiate smelling boogers and not smelling anything at all? Smell somebody else’s boogers. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-boogers-smell-bad/570081/4 "2011-02-04T00:33:21Z")
Nobody nose. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-boogers-smell-bad/570081/5 "2011-02-04T00:55:28Z")
One more follow-up: 1. Is not eating boogers a learned behavior? I talked to a Korean and they said that children have to be taught not to eat their boogers there too. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-boogers-smell-bad/570081/6 "2011-02-04T00:57:40Z")
I don’t think there’s much connection between bodily fluids and strong odor. Mucus, sweat, saliva and tears are all odorless as far as I can tell. When these do smell, it’s mainly because of bacteria, not the fluid itself. Urine does smell. I’m sure some internal fluids have smells, like digestive juices and blood, but I don’t really know the details. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-boogers-smell-bad/570081/7 "2011-02-04T01:00:25Z")
Boogers certainly do smell during an infection. Gack. Makes me think the odor extinction theory can’t be why healthy boogers don’t smell. Most of the time, they’re just water and mucin, which is sugar and protein, with trapped dust and bacteria stuck in them. Apparently not smelly proteins. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-boogers-smell-bad/570081/8 "2011-02-04T01:03:31Z")
They can. I have had some nasal infections where my nose itself smelled bad. That is no fun. The back of your throat can smell terrible too. I got some tonsil stones (little white hard things behind your tonsils) before I got my tonsils out that were absolutely foul when they were in place and even worse once I got them out and smelled them. Tongue scrapings don’t tend to smell so great either if you haven’t scraped them off in a while. Blood doesn’t smell bad, just like metal to me. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-boogers-smell-bad/570081/9 "2011-02-04T01:06:23Z")
> [@dracoi](#): > > Mucus, **sweat, saliva and tears** are all odorless as far as I can tell. I read this in a different thread, but the way to tell is to smell somebody else’s. I can certainly smell somebody else’s saliva and sweat. > [@WhyNot](#): > > Most of the time, they’re just water and mucin, which is **sugar and protein** , with trapped dust and bacteria stuck in them. Apparently not smelly proteins. I guess this explains the eating boogers phenomenon, thanks. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-boogers-smell-bad/570081/10 "2011-02-04T01:08:57Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > I guess this explains the eating boogers phenomenon, thanks. LOL. Plus, little fingers just fit up there so _perfectly_! Seriously kids, don’t eat your boogers. Didja notice what else is in there? BACTERIA. The yucky stuff that your body is trying to get rid of so it doesn’t make you sick. Boogers might be tasty, but they’re germ laden. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-boogers-smell-bad/570081/11 "2011-02-04T02:06:39Z")
Yeah, and why can’t you pick your friend’s nose? ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-boogers-smell-bad/570081/12 "2011-02-04T02:14:30Z")
> [@Autolycus](#): > > Yeah, and why can’t you pick your friend’s nose? Obviously, your fingers won’t fit right. Every person was born with fingers precisely fitted to their nostrils, like a perfect lock and key. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-boogers-smell-bad/570081/13 "2011-02-04T02:42:33Z")
> [@Autolycus](#): > > Yeah, and why can’t you pick your friend’s nose? You can, but you can’t wipe your friend on the couch. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-boogers-smell-bad/570081/14 "2011-02-04T03:13:02Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > LOL. Plus, little fingers just fit up there so _perfectly_! > > Seriously kids, don’t eat your boogers. Didja notice what else is in there? BACTERIA. The yucky stuff that your body is trying to get rid of so it doesn’t make you sick. Boogers might be tasty, but they’re germ laden. 😉 Boogers ain’t never made me sick. Just sayin’… ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-boogers-smell-bad/570081/15 "2011-02-04T06:47:51Z")
I read somewhere that eating boogers might be an evolutionary way for kids to pump up their immune systems. Sounds like qwack science with lots of google hits. Anybody got a professional peer reviewed article on it? I can’t find anything. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-boogers-smell-bad/570081/16 "2011-02-04T07:54:37Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > I read this in a different thread, but the way to tell is to smell somebody else’s. I can certainly smell somebody else’s saliva and sweat. Have you actually tried smelling these fresh under laboratory conditions before bacteria have had the time to develop? No one is saying there’s no such thing as BO or bad breath, but saliva and sweat by themselves are pretty much odorless, yours and everyone elses. ---
**Author:** ![Turpentine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Turpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turpentine)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-boogers-smell-bad/570081/17 "2011-02-04T14:04:52Z")
Chimps eat their own boogers. I’ve seen it. I’ve also had the unfortunate experience of witnessing a male monkey eat his own…never mind. Anyway, the fact that primates seem to eat their own less-smelly bodily secretions makes me think not eating boogers is definitely a learned behavior. Maybe the body fluids that smell very offensive is a natural warning to the primate, human or otherwise, that it should not be “recycled.” ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-boogers-smell-bad/570081/18 "2011-02-04T16:03:42Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > Boogers ain’t never made me sick. > > Just sayin’… How do you know? ---
**Author:** ![mckall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eada6e/32.png) [@mckall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mckall)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-boogers-smell-bad/570081/19 "2011-02-04T16:44:58Z")
It’s not peer reviewed, but this guy says eating boogers does have a health benefit: [http://web.archive.org/web/20050206140702/www.ananova.com/news/story/sm\_903083.html](http://web.archive.org/web/20050206140702/www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_903083.html) ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2011, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-boogers-smell-bad/570081/20 "2011-02-05T23:15:24Z")
I caught something of a cold from someone, and Christmas Snot (red, green, blue) started coming. It didn’t have a smell either. Also, could there be a psychological effect? Something that looks gross triggers the nausea response, even though we didn’t smell it? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-boogers-smell-bad/570081.md?page=2)