Aromachologists nose out the secret powers of smell

0 Comments | Insight on the News, Nov 10, 1997 | by Leslie Alan Horvitz

The foundation also found that gamblers exposed to floral scents at the Las Vegas Hilton casino spent 50 percent more time playing slot machines. The stronger the scent, the more they gambled. Says Hirsch, "Scents produce a more emotionally intense reaction than anything else, including lighting, temperature or visual displays."

Scientists know that odors affect brain waves. Lavender will act on the alpha waves to slow the brain down, inducing a relaxed state, while essential oils of basil and rosemary induce strong beta activity, enhancing alertness. Some scientists are convinced that odors impact health.

Migraine sufferers may find their headaches alleviated by the scent of green apples. The daily use of fragrance can improve the disposition of women bedeviled by menopause. The loss of smell is an early symptom of Alzheimer's disease.

The judicious use of scents could be a godsend to desperate dieters. In a study by the Smell and Taste Foundation involving more than 3,000 people, subjects breathed into a plastic inhaler containing banana, green apple or peppermint scents whenever they felt hungry; they lost an average of 5 pounds a month during the six-month study

"The study evolved because we found that people who'd lost smell as a result of head trauma would put on 10 to 20 pounds," says Hirsch. "The brain interprets smell as telling you when you're full, which is why people who prepare spaghetti Olfactor sauce all day may not feel like eating the spaghetti."

Because the limbic region of the brain is home to sexual response as well as smell, people who lose their sense of smell often experience sexual dysfunction. The link between sex and smell long has been known, of course. The perfume industry has been turning out about 64 new fragrances every year, in addition to the 800 or so already vying for part of the $5 billion market.

But if experiments conducted by the foundation are any indication, a combination of lavender and pumpkin-pie odors may prove more arousing to men (by measurement of penile blood flow) than the most intoxicating perfume. Other improbable combinations--donuts and black licorice, for instance, and lavender, cola and oriental spice--also arouse men. (Studies on what kind of odors arouse women are ongoing.)

But none of these studies can be considered definitive. "Since human beings can register 10,000 different smells, it's possible that other smells may work even better," Hirsch acknowledges. "And maybe these smells only work for men in Chicago. Maybe in Maine, it's the smell of lobster and in Texas the smell of alfalfa."

Of all the moods and emotions evoked by scents, however, that of nostalgia may be the most common. The foundation tested nearly 1,000 people from around the world to find that freshly baked goods universally conjure memories of past experiences. "After that, it depended on where you came from," says Hirsch. The scent of flowers produces nostalgia in East Coast Americans; fresh meadows do the same for Southerners; the odor of farm animals provoked intense childhood memories among people from the Midwest; Westerners responded to barbecue smells.