Roger Highfield Quote
Smells can even help us carry out tasks, according to an experiment by Martin's colleague Alison Gould. In one experiment, subjects completed a tedious visual vigilance task in the presence of either no odor, an alerting (peppermint) smell, or a relaxing (bergamot) one. They did better with the peppermint. Another study showed that subjects performed an unchallenging task better when stimulated by an unpleasant smell —in this case, sour milk. A pleasant smell, that of an air freshener, helped them perform complex tasks better.
Roger Highfield
Smells can even help us carry out tasks, according to an experiment by Martin's colleague Alison Gould. In one experiment, subjects completed a tedious visual vigilance task in the presence of either no odor, an alerting (peppermint) smell, or a relaxing (bergamot) one. They did better with the peppermint. Another study showed that subjects performed an unchallenging task better when stimulated by an unpleasant smell —in this case, sour milk. A pleasant smell, that of an air freshener, helped them perform complex tasks better.