How Different Scents Affect Your Mood
Pleasant Scents also Evoke Pleasant Memories
 What we smell remains on the mind far longer than what is seen, touched, or
heard. While all the aforementioned senses will evoke a specific memory, scent
has the longest, most enduring effect emotionally.
Our sense of smell attaches our psyche to all types of different memories and
emotions. As we live our daily lives, experiences such as, "a mother or
grandmother baking in the kitchen" leaves a long standing impression on what it
means as we define the environment around us.
The scent of the outdoors, food and other stimuli are naturally built to give
our bodies signals of what mood we should be feeling and how we should react.
For instance, our minds and physiology remember the comfort we feel from
eating a bread. When we smell those same scents associated with that
compound, we anticipate a similar future response or mood. Similarly, scents that
we have associated with vibrancy, movement and activity; love, intimacy and
protection; all have some universal physiological triggers, that we have
adapted.
Peppermint Can Aid You in Your Daily Tasks
Peppermint:
The influence of smell has also led scientists to examine how odors and aromas
affect cognition and visual-motor skills. Researchers found that peppermint and
cinnamon caused respondents to do better on tasks that required a good attention
span and recall. Peppermint caused study participants to feel less fatigued and
more motivated too.
Lemon and Lavender: Good for Workplace Productivity
 In the workplace, employees exposed to pleasant scents are shown to possess
better problem-solving abilities. In fact, in one Japanese company, the error
rate was reduced by half when data entry operators were exposed to a lemony
scent. It was reduced even further (or by as much as 80%) when the same
operators breathed in lavender. Not only did employees set higher goals for
themselves, they were able to employ methods that helped them work more
efficiently.
The Influence of Scent in Clerical Environments
In yet another study, the influence of scent was tested on participants who were
asked to complete three clerical tests in memorization, alphabetization, and
typing. Respondents were tested in environments that were scented with
peppermint, lavender, or had no scent at all. When fragrance was added to an
area, all the test participants notably performed better on each of the three
tests. Men performed the best when exposed to peppermint while women generally
excelled if they worked in a room with a lavender scent.
Scents in the Retail Setting
Ambient stimuli can also influence retail customers. For example, when you
combine music and scent in a retail setting, consumers have a better impression
of the store and its offerings. That’s why the Christmas season is such a
propitious time to shop. The mix of Christmas music and related scents makes the
whole experience just that much more exciting. Scents also cause focus group
participants to remember particular brand names better too. How that kind of
recall can be transferred online, of course, is another matter altogether.
Motivational Fragrances
Needless to say, the scents we’re exposed to influence our thinking as well as
our moods and our behavior. Energizing scents include:
-
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Hyacinth:
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Lemon
- Eucalyptus
- Mint
- Ginger
- Tangerine
Scents that Serve to Soothe
For a calming effect, choose such scents as:
-
Frankincense and Myrrh
- Cedar
- Vanilla
- Hyacinth
- Almond
- Lavender
Scents that Make a House a Home
Scents are also used to influence home-buying decisions. Research suggests that
homes infused with a pumpkin scent stay on the real estate market for a shorter
amount of time than other listed homes. In fact, sprays are sold that mimic the
scent of fresh baked bread, chocolate chip cookies straight out of the oven, and
even birthday cake to put potential home-buyers in a mood that makes them feel
right at home. You can also buy pumpkin pie spray too. Other popular scents
include butter cream and French vanilla, both which simulate a kitchen-friendly
environment.
Fresh fragrances, such as citrus, are good scents to add to bathrooms or even
basements. You might even include the scent of freshly laundered clothes.
Needless to say, scent impacts the atmosphere as well as how we feel, whether
it’s at home or in a workplace environment.
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