Do Kids Really Smell Better Than Adults?

It's a common assumption that children have sharper senses than adults—better hearing, keener eyesight, and yes, a more powerful sense of smell. But when it comes to sniffing things out, science tells a different story.

Research consistently shows that children aged 4 and up perform worse than adults on odor identification tests. In studies involving over 1,400 participants aged 4 to 80, the youngest and oldest participants had lower scores than people aged 20-60. Your nose doesn't peak in childhood—it peaks in young adulthood and stays strong through middle age.

The Newborn Exception

Here's where it gets interesting: newborn babies actually do outperform adults at certain smell tests. Infants have an exceptional ability to detect and recognize specific odors, particularly their mother's milk and amniotic fluid. This makes perfect evolutionary sense—a newborn's survival depends on recognizing mom and finding food.

But this superpower doesn't last. Once kids start school, their performance on smell tests lags behind adults consistently.

Why Kids Score Lower

It's not that children have inferior noses. Research shows that children's odor thresholds—their ability to detect that a smell is present—are similar to adults'. The problem is identification, not detection.

Think of it this way: a 6-year-old might smell something and know there's an odor, but struggle to name it as "cinnamon" or "gasoline." Meanwhile, an adult with years of experience can instantly identify dozens of scents. The difference comes down to:

• Experience — Adults have encountered more odors throughout life
• Language development — Kids lack the vocabulary to describe smells
• Cognitive abilities — Odor identification requires memory and pattern recognition that develops with age
• Working memory — Adults can hold and compare smell information more effectively

When Your Nose Peaks (and Falls)

Studies show that olfactory abilities improve throughout childhood, reaching adult levels around age 12. The sense of smell continues developing and peaks somewhere between ages 20-60, depending on the study.

After that? It's downhill. From age 20 onward (some research suggests even from 15), our sense of smell gradually declines. By the time you're elderly, you're back to performing worse than middle-aged adults—completing the circle.

Environmental factors matter too. Recent research shows that diversity in children's olfactory environment affects their smell abilities. A kid growing up in a home with lots of cooking, nature exposure, and varied scents will develop better odor identification than one in a less diverse environment.

The Bottom Line

While babies come equipped with impressive smell detection for survival-critical odors, the idea that children generally have better noses than adults is a myth. Your sense of smell is actually at its best during your prime working years, which might explain why professional perfumers, sommeliers, and chefs tend to be adults rather than kids.

So the next time a child insists they didn't smell that stinky diaper, they might actually be telling the truth.