Bizarre new research claims that people with a sensitive nose for disgusting smells are more likely to be xenophobic.
In a study across nine countries, scientists have linked a repulsion to sweat, bad breath and smelly feet with heightened disliking for refugees.
Steering clear of stenches is a natural mechanism that helps us avoid illnesses, experts at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm explain.
But when working into overdrive, this may trigger hostility towards refugees who they suggest can be perceived as having ‘dissimilar’ hygiene and food habits.
‘Individuals more easily disgusted by body odours are also more prone to having negative attitudes towards refugees,’ the scientists wrote.