From the moment we are born, smells mark our lives more than we imagine. Have you ever felt like returning to childhood when you notice that smell of hot chocolate that transports you to the cold winters at home with your family, or that smell that evokes the sea breeze accompanied by paella and “pescaito”. Even the smell of wet grass after a storm, which generates peace, calm and the desire to breathe deeply until your lungs fill.

Our sense of smell is funny like that. Our most prehistoric, guttural sense is also the one we think we use the least. And then it smacks us in the brain right when we least expect it, reminding us, after all, that we are still humans. 

There are dichotomies about other types of smells that generate opposite sensations, depending on the person, such as the smell of gasoline or acetone, smells that are torn between love and hate. It is curious to think that the smell of petroleum products can produce such a pleasant sensation, but the reality is that this compound acts as an anesthetic, temporarily suspending the function of the nervous system and causing a state of euphoria.

They are stimuli that are born from those unmistakable aromas. Later you will discover the scientific explanation and the use that is currently given to it, in addition to our proposed application to work environments.

Smell is an undervalued sense, which can immediately change our emotions, from the peaceful awakening with the smell of coffee and toast, to the unpleasant and foul smell that a sewer gives off. All these sensations that affect people positively or negatively, today can be a key tool that will improve our lives if we know how to use them.

Although it may be hard to believe, it is the most sensitive sense we have, since the brain connection occurs immediately. There is a lot of research that highlights emotions that smells provoke, due to the stimulation of the human brain.

Some of the best-known benefits are associated with relaxation, happiness, joy and self-confidence. This phenomenon is known as “Aromacology”, whose scientific basis is neurobiological.

When we receive a smell, this stimulus is directed to the limbic system of the brain, the place where smell lives as well as memory and basic instincts. This area of ​​our brain influences our behaviors, although always subconsciously.

That is why this science associates the smells we perceive with our psychological state to provoke a series of specific emotions.

This process works due to the brain's own neurochemistry, triggered by perceived odors, it also influences cognitive aspects such as perception, identification or cultural associations. The latter can exert a powerful influence on the subject's emotional reactions, which is why it is of special interest. Smells identify countries, places, people and even religions.

Although unconsciously, people generate value judgments based on the aroma that a person gives off, as simple as starting a conversation with someone whose smell we dislike creates a negative predisposition and vice versa.

Have you ever wondered: What is it about perfumes that makes them so pleasant to smell? Why do we like some fragrances more than others? o Why do we believe that some fragrances are more appropriate for certain situations? Below we leave you some information about the Psychology of perfume that you cannot miss. Stay to find out more!

What is the psychology of perfume?

The Psychology of perfume is called the ability of certain aromas to evoke different sensations and memories and also modify our behavior based on it.

In the brain, aromas are recognized and classified through the limbic system, which is closely linked to the human emotional center and long-term memory. Consequently, the limbic system links memories with emotions and aromas, making smells remind us of certain situations, places or specific people.

A scent is made up of tiny aromatic molecules. When you inhale a scent through the nose, these molecules climb up tiny olfactory nerves in the inner nose and head straight for the brain's limbic system.

The limbic system is a network of structures that controls some behaviors essential to the life of all mammals, such as finding food, and staying alive.

It has three essential functions: emotions, memories, and arousal (stimulation), which it translates from the information it receives from the outside environment.

Likewise, there are also certain aromas capable of calming us mentally, and/or that keep us away from anxiety and improve our focus on the present.

Why do we like perfumes?

The right choice of a perfume and its constant use causes emotional well-being and therefore, an ability to be more decisive in life, relieving stress and anxiety.

In addition, it is known to improve mood and make people more likely to be more positive and improve relationships with others because it increases self-esteem. Furthermore, it cannot be overlooked that using a perfume makes you more desirable: Some fragrances act like pheromones, causing the wearer to be perceived as a more attractive person to others.

Likewise, the intensity and duration of the fragrances allow us to remain in contact with our closest people, who inevitably associate our fragrance with us.

Some emotional benefits of perfumes:

• Citrus as well as floral aromas are believed to be ideal for calming the mind, reducing anxiety and promoting concentration.

• The notes of jasmine and lavender help those who suffer from insomnia fall asleep.

• Fresh, minty aromas are also believed to improve precision, speed and strength in addition to promoting a feeling of lightness.

Perfumes make us happy: Motivation

Fragrances are also used in personal care products since the aroma stimulates emotions, promoting a feeling of calm and security, beyond providing us with aesthetic benefits and complementing our personality, moods or even our style when dressing. .

The sense of smell is, without a doubt, our greatest ally in dealing with the world around us. It helps us relate to the environment. Smells alert us, make us flee or attack, connect us with moments from our past and make us relive feelings and emotions. When we are born, the first thing we do is follow the trail of breast milk. And, thanks to him, we are able to relax just by smelling our mother. Thus, we can affirm that smell is a sense intrinsically related to the survival instinct .

We often don't give it importance and only value it when we lose it, like when our nose is blocked: then, the food tastes like nothing and the outside world seems very far away. Once we recover them, we regain our appetite and feel more positive and with renewed energy. Well, smells are capable of activating all the emotional regions of the brain ; This is due to the interconnection of the brain regions involved in the processing of both sensations, with the limbic system - and especially the amygdala - being the integrating center par excellence.

How do we perceive smells?

The olfactory system is unique among sensory systems for several reasons, the main one being that it does not make its first synaptic relay in the thalamus.

Once the message is translated, the limbic system communicates this message to the central nervous system, which directs all of the basic instinctive bodily functions such as heart rate, digestion, respiration, perspiration, and sexual response.

Scent molecules are rare in their ability to quickly cross the blood-brain barrier and interact with the central nervous system. Basically, scent affects mood, and mood affects your basic instinctive bodily functions.

When the volatile molecules that make up the smell penetrate through our nose into the nasal cavity, the aroma particles are captured by the olfactory epithelium where millions of receptor cells are located, and these carry the messages to the olfactory bulbs of the brain. From the olfactory bulb, the odorous message is transmitted in two ways. One of them goes to the primary cortex, an area for integrating olfactory information. The second route reaches the piriform cortex, with the limbic system as the integrating center for emotional responses, learning and memory. This is because the amygdala (organ of the limbic system) connects that aroma with an emotion and the hippocampus relates that aroma with a memory in memory. Hence, the evocative capacity of smells, which take us back to lived moments and generate vegetative responses in our body that are impossible to control.

AROMACOLOGY: NEUROSCIENCE OF SMELL

Aromalogy is a science developed since 1989 by the Sense of Smell Institute (SSI) that is dedicated to the study of the interrelationship between psychology and odors . The theories of aromacology have a solid neurobiological basis that establishes verifiable relationships through experimentation, and is expressed quantitatively. This science is only related to the temporary effects of a fragrance on feelings and emotions, and with the effects that occur through the stimulation of the olfactory pathways in the brain, especially in the limbic system. It uses as indicators electrical activity in the brain, heart rate, skin conduction, changes in cognitive functions such as memory and voluntary and involuntary behavior, when faced with stimuli of different aromas that can be pleasant or unpleasant.

Some of the results of research in aromacology are the following:

• Brain waves: the aroma of jasmine increases beta waves that occur more frequently in states of concentration or high emotionality; while the aroma of sandalwood and pine increases the generation of alpha waves, which is the dominant brain frequency in states of relaxation.
• Lowers blood pressure with the aroma of neroli and valerian.
• Micro vibration is a fine tremor observed in warm-blooded animals influenced by muscle tension. This indicator decreased with orange and lavender aromas. The aromas of jasmine, chamomile and musk increased the micro vibration and with it, muscle tension.
• Peripheral vasoconstriction, associated with psychological stress. Jasmine and pepper have relaxing effects.
• Heart rate: the slowing of the heart rate is favored by sweet aromas, especially roses. With the aroma of lemon it slows down due to greater concentration in the face of an alert stimulus, the mind anticipates.
• Responsiveness: jasmine reduces the reaction time to a decision while lavender increases it.
• Learning tests: aromas that were pleasant to the participants increased the ability to memorize. They were lemon, eucalyptus and lily. Lavender, rose and orange were also found to increase mental relaxation while jasmine, chamomile and musk stimulate the mind.
• Other tests showed that the aroma of heliotrope reduces stress and anxiety .
• Pleasant aromas allow us to remember pleasant moments, while unpleasant aromas inhibit these memories. Furthermore, the changes in emotional qualities induced by aromas have been learned as a result of the context in which they were initially experienced.

AROMACOLOGY vs. AROMATHERAPY

We may not be able to distinguish between “aromalogy” and “aromatherapy” at first because they both have to do with aromas, use aromas to create special environments, and study the effects of aroma on people. To try to clarify the differences, we have made this small table:

AROMACOLOGY

• Concept based on scientific and systematic data, under controlled conditions
• Establishes the effects of aromas on human behavior, through reproducible scientific experiments
• It covers only the effects of olfactory stimuli on the brain.
• Combines natural and synthetic aromas

AROMATHERAPY

• Concept based on the traditional use of essential oils and herbs
• Establishes therapeutic effects based on ancestral use
• Introduces essential oils into the bloodstream by ingestion, skin absorption, vaporization or compresses
• Only uses natural ingredients, impossible to synthesize in the laboratory

From our NeuroRehabilitation services we want to go further. Given that recent studies have shown that a significant number of people in altered states of consciousness (unresponsive wakefulness and minimal consciousness) preserve the neural pathways involved in olfactory processing, we work on olfactory stimulation with this group in order to provoke/find new responses that increase your level of alert and facilitate the exit from said state.

Olfaction goes WAY back

When we were swinging through the ancient jungles of modern-day Africa, our sense of smell was right there with us, helping us identify food, predators, and mates.

Just as it was back then, olfaction is still one of the most important ways the environment communicates with us.

Once humans became a bit more sophisticated, we started using our sense of smell to manipulate the body into healing itself. Many ancient civilizations, including Egypt, China, and India, used aromatherapy (or, healing with aroma) to treat a plethora of disorders such as headaches, pain, insomnia, eczema, stress-induced anxiety, depression, and digestive problems.

Today, pharmaceutical companies would have us believe aromatherapy is a “pseudoscience,” but we have real scientific evidence that aromatherapy alters brain wave patterns.

Conclusion

There are many reasons why we love to use fragrances and all of them are related to a powerful reason: Without a doubt, aromas cause us many sensations associated with emotional well-being and happiness.

Furthermore, they make each person unique, since each fragrance is different: They identify us, give us personality and make us stand out wherever we are.

For these reasons, perfumes have become so popular around the world and have become synonymous with elegance, freshness and class.

This is where we come with the note on the Psychology of perfume. We hope you liked this information very much. Don't forget that on our Rommanella Fragrances website you will find a lot of very interesting information about the world of perfumery, in addition to our perfume catalog. If you are looking to start a business, do not hesitate to contact us to learn more about us. Start your perfumery business now!

There are a few commonalities that research has been able to note. People who are more extraverted like to push the fragrance boundaries a little. These types of people seem to be drawn to floral oriental type scents, as well as the more gourmand type.

People who are more introverted prefer not to stand out and seem to be drawn to scents which are fresh and aquatic, with a touch of citrus in them.

Once we find our perfect scent-match, we shouldn't feel shy to wear it whenever we need to feel more confident. Psychology recommends wearing our favorite smells just before giving a presentation or when going on a date.