How Scents Influence Thoughts and Behaviour

You may not realise it, but the power of scent is enormous — especially in non-verbal communication.

The Great Power of Fragrance

Scents strongly influence how we are perceived. Research from the Association for Psychological Science found that even a meal containing onion can lead to a worse evaluation of a person. We are not separated from our environment — we co-create it, and it affects our wellbeing.

Onion vs. Lemon

In one experiment, 65 volunteers rated the impression made by a person who smelled of onion, lemon or nothing. Those smelling onion described the individual as more masculine; the "lemon-scented" person was rated as more feminine, clean and pleasant.

Floral Scents Encourage Interaction

The Haviland-Jones study examined how a barely detectable floral scent influenced behaviour. In a room with a floral fragrance, people used approximately three times more words associated with happiness and were more inclined to interact than in unscented rooms — which has a direct bearing on the atmosphere in, for example, offices.