Sarah Everts, a science journalist and author of "The Joy of Sweat: The Strange Science of Perspiration," dives deep into the fascinating world of sweat. She explains the different types of sweat and how our bodies uniquely produce it, exploring why some people sweat more than others. The discussion touches on the evolutionary significance of sweating and how it's tied to attraction through pheromones. Everts also shares insights on the social perceptions of body odor and breaks down the science behind antiperspirants.
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insights INSIGHT
Sweat's Underrated Complexity
Sweat has received less scientific attention compared to other bodily fluids like urine.
Scientists may have underestimated sweat's complexity, assuming it was simply salt and water.
insights INSIGHT
Sweat's Origin
Sweat is derived from blood plasma, the liquid part of blood.
After filtering out larger components, sweat glands release this fluid to cool the body.
insights INSIGHT
Two Types of Sweat
Humans possess two types of sweat glands: eccrine and apocrine.
Eccrine glands regulate temperature, while apocrine glands in armpits produce a waxy sweat linked to body odor.
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In 'The Joy of Sweat', Sarah Everts delves into the strange science of perspiration, exploring why sweat is vital yet often misunderstood. The book takes readers on a global journey, from smell-dating events to sauna cultures, highlighting the paradox of how we both celebrate and try to control sweat. Everts examines the multi-billion-dollar industry of deodorants and antiperspirants, showcasing sweat as a powerful biological trait.
Start jogging around the block, or simply sitting outside on a hot summer day, and you begin to feel moisture develop all over your body. Maybe a drop of sweat will roll down your face. Your clothes get sticky. You start feeling in greater intensity a process that's actually going on all the time: sweating.
You may never have thought too much about your sweat, or perhaps been a little embarrassed by it when your sweat became noticeable in a socially delicate situation. But my guest today says that human sweat is in fact incredibly fascinating, and something you should embrace with real appreciation and enthusiasm. Her name is Sarah Everts and she's a science journalist and the author of The Joy of Sweat: The Strange Science of Perspiration. Sarah and I begin our conversation with what sweat is, the two kinds your body produces, and how human sweating is unique and what Sarah calls our species' superpower. We then get into the surprising quickness with which the things we drink start coming out of our pores, why we sweat when we're anxious or nervous, whether how much you personally sweat comes down to genetics or environment, and why the fitter you are, the more you sweat. Sarah unpacks whether there are differences between how men and women sweat and smell, whether our dislike for body odor is innate or culturally conditioned, why some people are smellier than others, and the role that smell and pheromones play in attraction. Sarah also explains whether antiperspirants are bad for you and if you should switch to natural deodorant. We end our conversation with why it feels so good to make ourselves intentionally sweat through things like sauna-ing, and whether hitting the sauna can detox your body.
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