Our bodies produce different scents when we feel happy or scared.
Scientists have studied the scents our bodies produce when we're happy or frightened and show us how these can influence the emotional states of others.
Invisible and odorless signals
These bodily signals - which are actually odorless - are thought to trigger happiness or fear in others. This is one of the ways smell affects people's social interactions. If I feel fear, my body odour will be smelled by people around me and they may start feeling fear themselves, unconsciously,” said Enzo Pasquale Scilingo, a professor at the University of Pisa, Italy.
A happy scent
You are walking down the street and come across someone who is smiling and looking happy. You can't help but inhale its scent - it's warm and inviting, just as you imagined. So do happy people smell differently? Aroma has a direct link to our emotional state of mind, so a scent can trigger a feeling of pleasure.
Our fingerprint
Scientifically speaking, our personal aroma is linked to a complex and sophisticated mixture of molecules that accumulate on the surface of our skin, and begins with the secretions of sweat glands that are found in areas of our body, such as the armpits and organs. genitals and are triggered by our emotional/stress responses. The molecules secreted by these glands then mix with microorganisms in our skin and natural oils to create a unique aroma specific to each, a bit like a fingerprint.
The Spray of Happiness
Now we know that the smell of happiness can inspire a positive state in others. If we had a spray of happiness... If we can find a smell that can induce a happy state - or a positive general state - I think we could help a lot of people especially the cases of depression increasing especially in young people in the aftermath of the pandemic and in a current anxiety-provoking climate.
How to boost your mood with olfactory ?
Want to be in a better mood? Try to inhale pleasant smells. When we feel something positive, it directly influences our limbic system in the brain and consequently our feelings, memories and ultimately our behaviors in a positive way. All the stimuli we pick up through our different channels: visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory and tactile can influence what we feel and have an impact on our behavior. They all directly or indirectly influence the limbic system - and olfactory is the only sense that has a direct impact on the limbic system.
So, to influence happiness, inhale positive smells.
Anne-Marie Spencer
Eco.French.Lab