Which Scents Affect Which Feelings?

Research has shown that scents affect feelings in ways that can vary substantially from one person to the next. How someone responds emotionally to a particular odor often depends on that person's earliest experiences with the scent. The smell of cinnamon may evoke warm childhood memories of fresh baked cookies for one person, yet trigger a feeling of sickness for another who equates it with unpleasant hospital medicine. However, studies show that certain scents result in almost universally positive feelings.

Vanilla

• Vanilla scent has almost universal appeal.

  The scent of vanilla is often regarded as the most pleasing to people regardless of age or cultural background. In experiments where an odor universally regarded as "pleasant" is required, vanilla has been a standard choice for psychologists and medical researchers for decades. Vanilla can also have a calming effect, as evidenced by a study at Tubingen University in Germany that found that vanilla fragrance reduces the startle-reflex.

Peppermint

• The smell of peppermint can be invigorating.

  Researchers at Wheeling Jesuit University in West Virginia have found that peppermint can be invigorating, as it increases brain activity that leads to alertness. The Wheeling research shows a correlation between peppermint and better fitness, as study participants ran faster and did more push-ups when exposed to the scent.

Jasmine

• The scent of jasmine can be calming.

  In a separate study, Wheeling researchers found that the smell of jasmine in the bedroom leads to a more restful night of sleep. Study participants exposed to jasmine reported better sleep quality and feeling more refreshed the following day than those who slept without the scent. When the participants awoke, those who breathed the jasmine performed cognitive tests more rapidly.

Lemon

• The scent of lemon can make you feel generous.

  The scent of lemon can make people feel more fair and generous, according to a University of Toronto study. Certain test subjects were placed in unscented rooms while others were placed in rooms scented with lemon. Given $12, they had to decide how much to keep and how much to give to a partner. Those in the lemon-smelling rooms gave back on average almost twice as much as those from the unscented rooms.