Aroma Psychology: Explained from A-Z
A sense of smell, or olfactory sense, is humankind's oldest sense. One of our earliest functions as tiny, simple organisms was to discover harmful or helpful molecules in our environment by smelling.
Smell, olfactory, and aroma psychology mean the same thing. It's how smell impacts our bodily functions, especially health, memory, and attraction. To learn more about the uniqueness of smell, see below:
What allows aroma psychology to work?
Before understanding the psychology of smell, it's essential to know how it works.
Humans have an accessory and main olfactory system. This is particularly a pathway from the nostril to the brain. As an odor go through the nose or mouth, the molecules from the smell dissolve and connect to the mucus lining in the nasal cavity. When they contact, olfactory neurons distinguish the odor and transmit the information to the brain.
Surprisingly, the information that's sent to the brain isn't as complex as you might think. In the psychology of smell, our brains only identify ten categories of scents:
- Woody/resinous
- Fragrant/floral
- Minty/peppermint
- Fruity (non-citrus)
- Popcorn
- Sweet
- Lemon (citrus)
- Chemical
- Pungent
- Decayed
Therefore, anything you've ever smelt before either fall into this category or has a combination of these smells.
The scent-brain connection
Smells and fragrances have a considerable impact on our mood. This is because the olfactory system is directly connected to parts of the brain responsible for blood pressure, memory, breathing, stress levels, heart rate, and hormone balance.
Of our five senses, smell is the only one connected to this brain area. Many refer to this area of the brain as the "emotional center" because it controls bodily functions related to fear, happiness, sadness, anger, etc.
As a result, scent can influence how we feel. From the scent-brain connection, a smell can influence our olfactory system to make our brain's emotional center react positively or negatively.
Can we influence aroma psychology positively?
Because of the power of aromas and smells, many have studied how to manipulate this human function. It turns out that you can use smell or aromatherapy to your advantage, allowing you to control the brain's emotional center.
Primarily people undergoing this treatment use essential oils that smell like good memories. This helps recall these memories, providing a positive mood. For example, the essential oil of a rose could help you recall a memory of a loved one.
When a scent is paired perfectly with a memory or experience, it helps regenerate that "feeling" you felt during that time. Because of this, it can have a positive impact on your body mentally and physically.
Summary
Aroma psychology is undoubtedly a unique human gift. The power of the smell sense is significant, allowing us to control our bodies to react a certain way. If we smell a scent with a positive memory associated with it, our minds can find clarity.
Reaching this level of mindfulness isn't only great for our mental health; it changes our bodily physically by lowering heart rate, etc. To obtain these benefits, search for a scent in our store today.