Abstract
How does the brain ultimately identify more than 10,000 odorants? How precisely can humans and their olfactory system detect and discriminate a great variety of odors and subtle differences in the molecular structures of a given aroma? In a series of studies, we have attempted to examine the relationship between mood change, odor and its psychophysiological responses, by focusing on the possible verbal (semantic) and non-verbal (skin temperature) changes in humans induced by smelling the fragrances of essential oils as well as linalool and its enantiomers. In our experimental design, the perceived sensory attributes in the participants can be represented by a sensory spectrograph: a bar graph whereby the mean of the impressions is plotted against the setting semantic impression descriptors. This article is an overview of our verbal (semantic) research results over the past decade as well as the non-verbal outcomes, which suggest that our tests of task-related sensory perception and skin temperature changes are useful for shedding more light on the finer nuances of odor discrimination and psychophysiological responses to odorants in humans. So, such information may provide clues to our long-standing questions mentioned above.
Highlights
Sensory evaluation is a method of measuring consciousness developed primarily in experimental psychology and mathematical psychology (Coombs, 1964; Guilford, 1954; Kling & Riggs, 1972; Stevens, 1951; Torgerson, 1958)
We represented the sensory attributes of the perceived odors of essential oils as well as linalool and its enantiomers before and after the task via a sensory evaluation spectrum: a bar graph whereby the mean of the impressions was plotted against the semantic impression descriptors
We have attempted to examine the relationship between mood change, odor and its psychophysiological responses, by focusing on the possible verbal and non-verbal changes in humans induced by smelling the fragrances of essential oils as well as linalool and its enantiomers
Summary
Sensory evaluation is a method of measuring consciousness developed primarily in experimental psychology and mathematical psychology (Coombs, 1964; Guilford, 1954; Kling & Riggs, 1972; Stevens, 1951; Torgerson, 1958). We provide an overview of our semantic (verbal) research achievements over the past decade as well as the non-verbal (skin temperature) outcomes, which suggest that our tests of task-related sensory perception and skin temperature changes are useful for shedding more light on the finer nuances of odor discrimination and psychophysiological responses to odorants in humans. We believe that this approach has the potential to be highly informative, so that such information may provide clues to the following long-standing issues: How does the brain identify more than 10,000 odorants? We believe that this approach has the potential to be highly informative, so that such information may provide clues to the following long-standing issues: How does the brain identify more than 10,000 odorants? How precisely can humans and their olfactory system detect and discriminate a great variety of odors and subtle differences in the molecular structures of a given aroma? How does the perception of odors usually associate with pleasant or unpleasant emotions? How does the brain prompt the range of emotional or behavioral responses that aromas often provoke? To what extent is a particular behavior or mood governed by the perception of odors?
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