A PRELIMINARY TRIAL EXPLORING PERFUME PREFERENCES IN ADOLESCENT GIRLS

Abstract

ABSTRACTDespite the growing interest in the psychological influence of fragrance, researchers have not fully examined the role of fragrance in adolescence. Fragrances often become incorporated in daily routines and social interactions for the first time during this period of enormous physiological and psychosocial change. The current study served as a preliminary trial to explore preferred fragrances in the social world of adolescent girls. Twenty‐seven adolescents wore their favorite perfume or an alternative fragrance on two separate days during two different weeks. We found that participants rated the alternative fragrance as less pleasant than their favorite fragrance. The alternative fragrance did not directly affect social behavior. Instead, reduced perceived pleasantness of the alternative fragrance compared with the favorite fragrance was associated with reduced reported social enjoyment in questionnaires and with reduced use of words indicating intimacy in narratives. Associative models and implications for future studies are considered.PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSFragrances surround our daily experiences and may affect our perception of the environment through effects on social behavior. Social behavior acquires a particularly important resonance during adolescent development, yet to date, it is unclear what role the olfactory environment, including the perception of fragrances, may play in adolescent experience. Given that adolescence is a time of enormous change biologically, cognitively and socially, fragrance use may interact with such developments. The current study served as a preliminary trial to explore how disrupting the olfactory environment would be associated with changes in questionnaires and narratives examining social behavior in adolescent girls. Our findings suggest that researchers should consider the integration of fragrance in adolescents' social experiences.