Unseen Forces – Part 2 – Scents

Sure, we can often see the source of a scent a flower, a piece of fruit, etc., but smells themselves don’t have any forms we can see with the naked eye.
We are particularly likely to link memories to certain sounds, and those memories have emotional effects on us that are meaningful, too powerful to be ignored. Your associations are your associations, live with them and don’t try to smother them in some new scent trend—you won’t succeed at denying them anyway.

There are complex equations that can be used to determine how much scent to add to a space, but those equations are, shall we say, “challenging” to use outside a lab anyway. In the actual real world, HVAC-related openings in rooms are in unexpected places, windows don’t fit perfectly in their frames so drafts roll through rooms, you have a stinky dog or like to eat stinky cheese—there are too many complicating factors to make using some very long equation likely to be a good use of time.

So, how much scent should you add to a space? As little as possible. Scentscaping should always be subtle. To determine the right amount follow this protocol: Add some scent to the space in question and invite some friends over. Ask them about your space. If anyone spontaneously mentions its smell, reduce the amount of scent present. When no one brings up what your space smells like on their, ask visitors about what your place smells like. When only about 50% of the people you ask can correctly identify the smell you’ve added, you’ve hit the optimal level of scenting.

The logical next question is, “What should your space smell like?”

If you categorize the smell in places you spend time simply as good (as it’s likely to be if you’re reasonably neat, etc.) your mood will be better than if a space doesn’t smell good to you—and with better moods come better analytical performance, creativity, and getting along with others, for instance.

Rigorous scientific research has shown that that these plants can influence your mental state in meaningful ways:
• Florals – reduce anxiety (to a very great extent, after smelling hyacinths and jasmine, for instance)
• Orange – lowers anxiety levels
• Lavender – relaxes and encourages better sleep while enhancing trust in other people and reducing cravings for cigarettes
• Lemon – another relaxer which also improves mood and cognitive performance (and has also been tied to feeling lighter and thinner)
• Grapefruit and also tangerine – energize
• Mango – helps people feel more relaxed
• Rosemary and sage – both improve memory function and rosemary elevates alertness
• Peppermint – boosts memory performance and alertness all while enhancing physical performance (and making physical work seem like, well, less work)
• Strawberry – links to feeling happy
• Green apple – seems to make a space seem large