The New Mood Boosters

the whiff of coffee gives you a boost because your brain links it to the double shot latte you’ll soon be downing. And a certain perfume makes you glum if you wore it in a toxic relationship.

By Lydia House and Iantha Yu

It’s one of the few senses that’s already fully developed by the time you’re born. But while your sense of smell may have evolved to alert you to predators, these days, researchers are more inclined to investigate how the power of scent can be harnessed to change your mood, for the better.
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“All but a few human responses are learnt – how we relate to and are impacted by scent included,” explains Professor Charles Spence, head of the Crossmodal Research Laboratory at Oxford University. “For some smells, your reaction is down to past exposure and whether that led to reward or a different consequence.” So, the whiff of coffee gives you a boost because your brain links it to the double shot latte you’ll soon be downing. And a certain perfume makes you glum if you wore it in a toxic relationship.

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