The Relaxing Effects of Scents

Maintaining Focus

Scents can be effective in situations where concentration is required. In a study of scent stimulation and its effects, participants were asked to perform a series of simplistic tasks. As a result, participants exposed to scents showed a tendency of time reduction on subsequent task engagements. Repetition of monotonous tasks usually reduce concentration in participants, but the scent was believed to help restore this concentration.

In the same experiment, results also showed that scents helped with drowsiness during tasks. From these results, some believe that scented car fresheners are useful for long-distance drives where drowsiness is easily induced due to the unchanging landscape. Smelling a scent helps us recover from fatigue and prevents us from falling asleep.

Scents Can Improve Our Quality of Life

In addition, scents have been shown to improve mental health. As an example, let’s look at a study of Japanese university students. In this study, students who often used the Student Counseling Room were asked to smell their favorite scent every morning for a week. Researchers investigated the subsequent changes in their quality of life and mental health.

Prior to the study, these students who used the counseling room had the tendency of poor quality sleep, less physical activity, and more anxiety than those who did not use the counseling room. In addition, their mental health and life quality tended to score lower. However, through this experiment, these characteristics continued to improve until there was no quantifiable difference between them and the students who did not typically use the counseling room. It’s amazing how much change occurs when we simply smell a scent that we favor.

Once a Day is All You Need

What’s interesting about the study mentioned above is not just the effect of the scent itself. The key point here is that they were only asked to smell their favorite scent once a day in the morning for a week, yet it produced more than one benefit.

We could use an aroma diffuser or light an aroma candle at home to fill the room with your favorite scent, but this can be unexpectedly tedious, and we might forget some days. What we can do is transfer our favorite aroma into a portable spray bottle for an easy and effortless alternative to carry around.

Different Scents for Different Occasions

Citrus for Stress Reduction

Citrus scents, such as lemon and grapefruit can be refreshing. They also help reduce stress and improve mood. In one experiment, grapefruit scents were presented to subjects who felt stressed after performing a simple task. Researchers measured the participants’ stress levels based on the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and found that their anxiety decreased more than before they had performed the task (Figure 1 below). It is likely that grapefruit had an effect on the reduction of anxiety. Similarly, it also had an effect of increased relaxation.

If you are someone who gets nervous before a presentation or meeting, smelling citrus-based fragrances may help you feel a little more relaxed.

Lavender for Improved Focus

Lavender is recommended when we struggle to keep our focus. In a study that utilized lavender scents, it was shown to improve work efficiency and reduce mistakes. Lavender scent activates the parasympathetic nervous system, thus improving concentration.

In addition, lavender fragrance is proven effective even when the scent is very faint. While lavendar could help improve our concentration, keep in mind that wearing too much perfume can cause discomfort to those around us who are sensitive to smell . A little goes a long way!

Image：Unsplash
References：

Haga, S., & Masuda, T. (2008). A Psychological Stufy on the Effect of Scent on Arousal. Japan Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 44(Supplement). doi: 10.14874/jergo.44spl.0.340.0

Yoshikawa, H., & Adachi, Y. (2018). Prospective Study of Fragrance Effect in Mental Health of University Students (1). The 82nd Annual Convention of the Japanese Psychological Association, 281.

Muramatsu, H., Mori, C., Nagasawa, Y., & Fukuzawa, H. (2000). Effect of Smell of Grapefruit on Mental Task. Bulletin of Yamanashi Medical College 17, 42-47. doi: 10.34429/00000696

Kuwagaki, A., & Goto, K. (2017). The Relationship Between Low Concentration Lavender and Attention Maintenance. The Annals of the Hokkaido Psychological Society 40(0), 22-22. doi: 10.20654/hps.40.0_22

The post Aromatherapy: Stress Reduction Through Scent appeared first on SELF MIND.

A large decorative plant placed in the corner of the office.
A small potted plant placed on the desk.

We often see plants in our workplace. But why? “It looks good” or “It’s healing,” we may say. Many of us only have a vague impression. Research indicates that greening the office actually reduces fatigue.

Plants Make Space Feel Brighter

Scientists blocked sunlight coming through the window by placing partitions and plants to see if it made a difference in impressions. Even though plants blocked the sunlight and made the room darker, results showed that it gave off the impression of a brighter room. On the other hand, using partitions clearly gave off a darker impression when placed in the same position. Scientists think that this is because greening the space by placing a plant evokes more of a ‘psychological brightness’ in our perceptions.

A Little Bit of Greening for Relaxation

Some of you may think, “I don’t all have enough desk space for plants!” To see if size matters, an experiment measured fatigue levels in participants provided with three different plant options to put on their desks. Each participant received a large plant, a small plant, or nothing at all. Participants with large plants and small plants ended up showing signs of relaxation. Participants with no plants showed no signs of relaxation. In other words, the size or number of plants doesn’t matter when greening your workspace.

Smaller plants were also found effective in suppressing drowsiness for viewers. Researchers believe this is due to participants having more visual contact with smaller plants throughout their work hours and breaks. The more attention they gave to the plant, the brighter their work environment was perceived.

Different Plants, Different Effects

A wide variety of plants are ideal for interior decoration. Some plants have leaves that are lush and round, while others are mixed with colors ranging from green to red. People have different tastes, but no matter what you choose, the impressions we get viewing them seem to be pretty consistent.

Research with 102 college students using 16 kinds of plants tested the impression different plants gave off. A large number of students chose; Weeping Figs, Corn Plants, and Lemon Cypress as plants they’d want in their room. Many of them claimed that it made the room feel luxurious, refreshing, and restful.

On the contrary, Garden Crotonas was most mentioned as the plant that made them feel a little restless when placed. Respondents described the plant as cold and tense. The lack of comfort may be coming from the fact that the leaves are mostly red on this plant.

Uplift your mood at the office today, by placing a small green plant on your desk. Whenever you feel tired, try gazing at it for a while. The power of the plant can assist you in reducing your fatigue.

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If you’re looking for more tips on how to care for your mental health, check out some of our past blog posts!

Image：Unsplash

Reference:
Asaumi, H., Nishina, H., Namba, R., Masui, Y., Hashimoto, Y. (1995). Evaluation of Impression of Ornamental Foliage Plants and Psychological Rating of Rooms with Ornamental Foliage Plants by Means of Semantic Differential Method. Shokubutsu Kojo Gakkaishi, 7(1), 34–45. https://doi.org/10.2525/jshita.7.34

Hasegawa, T., Shimomura, T. (2010). Comparison of psychological effects on workers between a small interior plant and a large interior plant. Journal of the Japanese Society of Revegetation Technology, 36(1), 63-68. https://doi.org/10.7211/jjsrt.36.63

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