The Power Of Smell

[MyNameIsTerry]

Hi all,

I thought I would post a couple of interesting studies I came across a while ago that talk about how smell works with our anxiety.

2012 Study.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0322100317.htm

Smells also evoke powerful emotional responses in humans.

The skin conductance results showed that anxiety also heightened emotional arousal to smell-induced threats.

The authors uncovered amplified communication between the sensory and emotional areas of the brain in response to negative odors, particularly in anxiety. This increased connectivity could be responsible for the heightened arousal to threats.

2013 Study.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0924174150.htm

"After anxiety induction, neutral smells become clearly negative,"

"People experiencing an increase in anxiety show a decrease in the perceived pleasantness of odors. It becomes more negative as anxiety increases."

In the course of the experiment, the Wisconsin team observed that two distinct and typically independent circuits of the brain -- one dedicated to olfactory processing, the other to emotion -- become intimately intertwined under conditions of anxiety.

"In typical odor processing, it is usually just the olfactory system that gets activated," says Li. "But when a person becomes anxious, the emotional system becomes part of the olfactory processing stream."

"We encounter anxiety and as a result we experience the world more negatively. The environment smells bad in the context of anxiety. It can become a vicious cycle, making one more susceptible to a clinical state of anxiety as the effects accumulate. It can potentially lead to a higher level of emotional disturbances with rising ambient sensory stress."

This shows that perhaps we could alter our environment to be less negative. Perhaps we can look towards incorporating more positive smells to reduce susceptibility to triggers? Maybe at least by doing this we prevent adding to our anxiety from negative odours that may typically be there?

So, does this also raise how positive smells work for us? I guess I will have to look for some studies to show that too but I think they do as how often have you felt some relief or uplifted from certain smells?

---------- Post added at 09:46 ---------- Previous post was at 08:19 ----------

Some interesting information on positive smells:

http://www.sirc.org/publik/smell_emotion.html

Its interesting how a mere mention of a positive smell can produce a positive effect. I wonder whether we can somehow use that to our advantage?

I can remember finding sniffing a lavender balm helpful to me when I was quite bad. When I walk about supermarkets, I tend to have a smell of a few of the candles. I like the floral ones and vanilla as I find they seem to give me a slight boost at that point, even if it is a quick emotional feeling that lasts a matter of 5-10 seconds.

[Florence20]

Great post

[MyNameIsTerry]

Thanks, Florence.

[Pipkin]

Very interesting Terry. I've always thought I had an acute sense of smell and I wonder if this is part of it. Like you, I also find positive smells have a positive effect on my mood for a short time.

Pip

[MyNameIsTerry]

Thanks Pipkin. The fight or flight response does also sharpen senses, including smell, for obvious reasons.

I found it interesting how we basically make our anxiety worse even at an autonomic level with smells alone. So, its another case for what we do in noticed & dealing with our triggers and how we need to include any negative smells into that equation.

I was trying to find something to add about using positive smells but none of it seemed relevant. Hopefully the people doing this type of research will look at that at some point.

[SarahH]

I can just think of the smell of the sea and it relaxes me.... oh and freshly cut grass and cherry blossom... try it ...it really does work

Sarah

[MyNameIsTerry]

Thats a very interesting point to raise Sarah "Most Naughty-ish Member Ever" H

Memory stores things like this together so a bad smell can be linked but so can a good one. You use it in a positive way by actively recalling the memory and making yourself feel better. Thats a great skill to use.

I wonder if by being in less uplifting environments we compromise our mood or leave ourselves open to mood changes? For instance, in offices where its all very sterile.

If you visualise a linked memory, does it bring it back easier or make the experience richer? I've just tried that with a nice vanilla candle I always have a smell of in the supermarket which gives me a boost. It seemed easier to me to visualise myself standing there holding it and taking a sniff.

[Cheesemonster13]

Yes, I've been burning sweet orange oil in an oil burner when I relax, and I find it very soothing.

Also, I've started making mint tea using mint from my garden, as it helps with my IBS. When I add the hot water to the mint, the smell it gives off seems to lift my spirits for some reason.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Mint is an envigorating smell. I used to like having a sniff of those Vic's inhalers despite not even having a cold. They just seem to give you some brief clarity.

Candles are used in meditation but its usually as a focal point. I'm not sure about the use of smell but it would be a very good way to use different smells to deepen a reflective experience as you could select different ones for different tasks.

Oil burners seem all the rage these days. I bought my mum one for Xmas a few years back. The oil packs are usually well priced and there is a large range.

I used mint tea for a bout of mild IBS last year and it did really help. I gather it's pretty easy to grow too.

Chocolate aromas are also very good. Since dark chocolate has benefits with anxiety, I wonder if the smell does in some way?

[ricardo]

Very interesting Terry.


I believe the article, and also if one has GAD or a similar illness one can make it up by being extra observant and notice things that other people without any form of mental illness never see or even think about.

By the way I love the smell of freshly laid tar