Determination of odor profile of university students using electroencephalography (EEG)

Abstract

Sense of smell, a subjective sensation, has not been studied as much as the other senses hence interpretation of olfactory messages is still not a fully understood process. Olfactory perception, about which science made some significant advances only in the last 30 years, identifies a chemical substance coming to nose while also remembering past experiences. Therefore, in terms of odor appreciation profile it is important to reveal the difference between individuals as well as societies. The aims of this study are interpretation of EEG data with subjective statements, generation of a common denominator considering the gender variable and determination of odor appreciation profile for the Turkish sample.In this study, subjects who have no detailed information about the olfaction and odor were selected. EEG measurements were of randomly selected thirty six (eighteen female and eighteen male) right-handed, aged 18-28 years university students. Odor panel consists of 13 pleasant smells from different odor families (orange blossom, jasmine, peach, aldehydes, musk, vanilla, sandalwood, grass, amber, bergamot, pine, rose and patchouli). After examination of participants’ demographic characteristics, subjective statements and EEG data during smelling, The Odor Profile of University Students was provided and suggestions were made related to the conclusions. Keywords: Odor Profile, Electroencephalography (EEG), Odor Appreciation.