Abstract
Odors can be powerful stimulants. It is well-established that odors provide strong cues for recall of locations, people and events. The effects of specific scents on other cognitive functions are less well-established. We hypothesized that scents with different odor qualities will have a different effect on attention. To assess attention, we used Inter-Subject Correlation of the EEG because this metric is strongly modulated by attentional engagement with natural audiovisual stimuli. We predicted that scents known to be “energizing” would increase Inter-Subject Correlation during watching of videos as compared to “calming” scents. In a first experiment, we confirmed this for eucalyptol and linalool while participants watched animated autobiographical narratives. The result was replicated in a second experiment, but did not generalize to limonene, also considered an “energizing” odorant. In a third, double-blind experiment, we tested a battery of scents including single molecules, as well as mixtures, as participants watched various short video clips. We found a varying effect of odor on Inter-Subject Correlation across the various scents. This study provides a basis for reliably and reproducibly assessing effects of odors on brain activity. Future research is needed to further explore the effect of scent-based up-modulation in engagement on learning and memory performance. Educators, product developers and fragrance brands might also benefit from such objective neurophysiological measures.
Highlights
The flavors and fragrance industry has traditionally focused on the discovery and blending of raw ingredients to create taste and scent profiles for a wide range of product categories
In response to a growing demand from consumers the flavors and fragrance industry is increasingly focused on delivering proven functional benefits related to health and wellness that go beyond traditional approaches such as Aromatherapy (Hongratanaworakit, 2004) or anecdotal evidence (e.g., “lavender oil is good for sleep” or “peppermint oil is energizing”)
We have shown that Inter-Subject Correlation of the EEG evoked by narrative auditory-visual stimuli is reliably and reproducibly modulated by olfactory stimuli and that this modulation is dependent on the particular odorant being presented
Summary
The flavors and fragrance industry has traditionally focused on the discovery and blending of raw ingredients to create taste and scent profiles for a wide range of product categories. In response to a growing demand from consumers the flavors and fragrance industry is increasingly focused on delivering proven functional benefits related to health and wellness that go beyond traditional approaches such as Aromatherapy (Hongratanaworakit, 2004) or anecdotal evidence (e.g., “lavender oil is good for sleep” or “peppermint oil is energizing”). The general effects of odors on cognitive function have been studied intensively (see Table 1). Anecdotal evidence from aromatherapy and academic studies have shown that select essential oils can have a positive impact on cognitive functions, e.g., attention, alertness, learning and memory (e.g., Rasch et al, 2007; Moss and Oliver, 2012; Moss et al, 2014). Few studies, if any, have systematically characterized the functional benefits of a broader range of scent materials that include both synthetic molecules and mixtures. Our goal is to identify objective neurophysiological measures of the effects of individual scents on cognitive function
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