Horses exposed to odor compounds produced by volunteers who had watched scary footage were more likely to startle more easily, and less likely to approach people or investigate unfamiliar objects, a new study has found
https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/14/science/horses-emotions-study-scli-intl?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=missions&utm_source=reddit
8 Comments
According to research published Wednesday in the journal [PLOS One](https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0337948)**,** horses can detect fear in humans by smell, becoming more likely to startle and more wary of people who are scared.
Researchers collected samples of odor compounds from the armpits of human study participants and then observed how the horses behaved when they were exposed to the different odors during standardized tests, the study found.
While previous research has found that horses can pick up on human emotions through speech and facial expressions, the idea that [they can smell our fear](https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/14/science/horses-emotions-study-scli-intl?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=missions&utm_source=reddit) has remained just a theory due to the difficulties of studying smell, said lead study author Plotine Jardat, a researcher at the French Institute for Horse and Riding.
“As humans, we are not really aware of all the smells that are around us compared to what other animals apparently perceive, so that’s not so easy to study,” Jardat told CNN.
Well darn. I was hoping i could lie to my horse, but he can smell through it.
“i can smell your fear” now actually makes sense
Studies that won’t replicate for $100 Alex
I’ve been there. I was minding my business. Not caring. Sitting on hay pile in stables. All horses were staring at me. I came over to pet them. If someone comes in and acts little apprehensive. The horses will literally glare at you
It is “common knowledge” that animals can smell fear in many cultures; I wonder how replicable it is to other animals? Do all mammals have the same “fear smell”, if not do clades? When we “smell fears” are we influenced by our nose unconsciously, was this metaphor actually literal?
This raise many questions to me.
People tend to forget that horses are prey animals. It’s in their best interest to be alert to danger.
I’m very calm around animals and I’ve noticed they’re often weirdly tame around me like I’ve never been sprayed by a skunk but I’ve crossed paths with many while other people get blasted. Maybe just coincidence but I’m interested if it’s localized to just horses or if other mammals have similar reactions to those smells.