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The Science of Scent

How Can We Describe Scent-Evoked Feelings in Japanese?

Two hundred Japanese participants evaluated 10 odors using 25 emotional expressions. We introduce the clusters of feelings revealed by a Japanese odor-emotion scale, which captures more than pleasantness and unpleasantness alone.
2026.11.03
The Science of Scent
The Science of Scent

Can Scent Bring Friends’ Movements into Sync?

When friends talk, the timing of their gestures and movements can naturally become more alike. Does peppermint scent encourage this synchrony? A study asked 25 pairs of friends to perform different conversation tasks in rooms with and without scent.
2026.11.03
The Science of Scent
The Science of Scent

Does a Partner’s Smell Ease Stress?

Can a partner's body odor alone provide the reassurance of having them nearby? An experiment analyzing 179 people produced results that differed from expectations. Looking separately at perceived stress, heart rate, and hormones reveals the complexity of how smell affects us.
2026.11.03
The Science of Scent
The Science of Scent

Can Surrounding Odors Change How You See Your Own Face?

How do ratings of your own photograph change after smelling an unpleasant odor? A study explores this through ratings from 31 people and EEG analyses from 28.
2026.11.03
The Science of Scent
The Science of Scent

What Words Do We Use to Describe Perfume?

An analysis of nearly 30,000 Chinese-language perfume reviews examines how people describe materials, scenes, personal images, and preferences when talking about scent.
2026.11.03
The Science of Scent
The Science of Scent

Do Letters or Colors Help Us Recall an Odor’s Name?

Part of an odor's name, or a color suggesting its source: a naming task and brain-wave recordings in 40 people examined how these two cues differ.
2026.11.03
The Science of Scent
The Science of Scent

Can Scent Words Map How We Perceive Smells?

A study of 76 people who categorized Mandarin odor terms and actual smells. We explore where groupings of words and sensory experiences overlap, and where they differ.
2026.11.03
The Science of Scent
The Science of Scent

Can Body Odor Change Sensitivity to Other Smells?

Does exposure to sweat collected during dental treatment change sensitivity to another odor? We explore an experiment with 36 people alongside analyses of the sweat's smell and chemical constituents.
2026.11.03
The Science of Scent
The Science of Scent

Is Scent-Induced Relaxation Just One Feeling?

A study developed a 12-item questionnaire to measure relaxation from scent. We explore why it captures nostalgia alongside feelings of release and negative emotions.
2026.11.03
The Science of Scent
The Science of Scent

Do Names Make Scent Categories Easier to Learn?

Would temporary names make scent differences and pairings easier to remember? In a four-day study, 80 Chinese–English bilinguals learned odor categories with meaningless new words, with results that could not be explained by how familiar the names sounded alone.
2026.11.03
The Science of Scent
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