The effect of odors on humans. Odorology or how smells affect the psyche of people. Properties of essential oils

The human brain controls many processes in the human body. Large areas of the brain are responsible for emotions, memory, behavior, and other areas determine. The psychological state of a person is affected by his emotions. In order to normalize the state of a person, you need to influence emotions. If a person is not emotional or phlegmatic enough, areas of his brain need to be stimulated by external stimuli.

For these purposes, smells are used in the world. Since ancient times, people have known for certain which smell to use for a particular purpose. The coquettes knew what scent could seduce a man, and the Don Juan knew the weaknesses of a woman's sense of smell. In the use of aromas, you need to know the measure in order to achieve the desired result.

Of course, you need to use those smells that evoke positive emotions or bring a person back to their memory. The delicate aroma of lily of the valley flowers can create a real miracle and move a person in the mind at the moment of his first date. The aroma of fresh pine shoots will take a person for a walk in the forest, where he spent an unforgettable time with his parents. These aromas excite the areas of the brain responsible for long-term memory.

There are aromas that help strengthen memory. If your goal is to remember something important, mash a mint leaf or make yourself tea. When you are faced with a task that requires extreme concentration, brew cinnamon tea. The aroma of cinnamon will help you improve your mood and get rid of fear.

There are times when a person is depressed and it seems to him that there is not enough air. Even if he is at an open window. In such a situation, the smell of any citrus fruit will help. Essential oils of citrus fruits not only stimulate the human brain emotionally, they will supply the brain with the necessary amount of oxygen. It can prevent fainting and improve visual motor skills.

With the help of smells, you can influence the psyche of people. For example, if dear people should come to you, cut a fresh cucumber or lemon. These scents will easily put your guests in a peaceful lyrical mood. Your conversation will flow naturally, in an atmosphere of trust.

Women will achieve attention from a man with the help of smells of apple, jasmine and the lightest aroma of peppermint. The aroma of green tea creates real miracles. This fragrance is suitable for the vast majority of situations. If you are still on the path of experimentation and have not identified the fragrances that will help you influence the psychology of people, use this versatile fragrance and continue your experiments.

Scents can be powerful aphrodisiacs and can be used successfully in healing. There is even a direction in medicine - aromatherapy. The influence of smells on human psychology can be a good tool for influencing or correcting.

It is not a secret for everyone that the state of health and the mood of any person can be influenced by a certain aroma, smell. And this fact has been known since ancient times.

Already in modern world scientists have developed tables by which, you can find out for sure which aroma can cheer you up and get rid of a headache.

This was noticed many centuries ago. Individuals who had a more sensitive sense of smell were considered more sensitive individuals.

From the first days of mankind, knowledge of aromatherapy has accumulated over the centuries. Even then, the medicinal properties of strongly smelling plants, their mixtures, were noticed. And the healers of that time had knowledge that could help a person, and these people were considered magicians.

Smell in human life plays a very important role. It is expressed both in the protective function of the human body, and in his emotions and impressions. Sometimes one particular smell can bring benefits both to the body as a whole and to the psyche, raising vitality.

Fragrances can be obtained both naturally, by extracting odors from fragrant plants, and also artificially, through chemical experiments. An example of such a path is perfumery.

If we disassemble the interpretation of the word "perfumery" literally, we can get the following: the use of various aromatic substances to flavor the air, by burning these substances in a bowl on open coals and saturating the premises with fragrant smoke.

This method has been used since very ancient times, this method was especially popular in worship services, including magic rituals.

If you look at the history of aromatherapy, you can find out that such therapy has been used for many centuries in a row. Even in ancient times, with the help of aromatic essential oils, healers learned to get rid of many ailments.

Such treatment was widely used by Hippocrates, Galen and many other healers of those centuries.

Each person in a day inhales thousands of odors, of which even half are not available to the human sense of smell. Of course, there are smells that are loved by a person, and there are smells that, on the contrary, are unpleasant.

Some aromas are perceived by humanity at the subconscious level, and they bring certain emotions and memories to a person.

The conscious response to various odors can be divided into different groups. Some that are perceived by a person as a threat, for example, the smell of smoke during a fire, or the smell of gas from a leak. Others can deliver positive emotions, such as fragrance delicious dish or the scent of a loved one's eau de toilette.

Of the five human senses, the sense of smell is the most sensitive and fastest sense, which transmits information to the brain at a high speed, almost instantly. The nose is highly sensitive, especially to strongly smelling odors.

There are high hopes for aromatherapy. This is due to the fact that now aromatherapy is used not only in medicine and industry, but also in other areas of human life, while helping a person to improve his well-being in many ways.

For example educational institutions, and their usefulness can be shown. At the beginning of classes, a mixture of essential oils is diffused into the rooms, the smell of which helps to increase mental activity, and at the end of the school day, you can fill the classroom or auditorium with a scent that will help children relax.

Thus, children will be able to master the school curriculum better, they will not be so tired and there is an opportunity to relieve most children of the stress that so often matures in the learning process.

aromatherapy

Scientists have proven a very important fact that a certain aroma, obtained from natural raw materials or synthetically, will seem the same to our sense of smell, but this is not so, they will always be different. The whole point is that both smells can have the same aroma, but the difference is that in perfumery with a synthetic smell, there is only aroma.

And in addition to the smell, there is also a therapeutic effect that has a beneficial effect on the human body.

Currently, our studio has developed a training course "", which can be studied and applied by anyone who prefers everything natural.

To know the whole mystery of aromatherapy, it is worth familiarizing yourself with and studying its centuries-old history. After all, all these centuries, aromatherapy has been practically in the main place in a person’s life, and has been associated with all the sacraments that take place in them.

But for some time, aromatic oils were forgotten, and only at the beginning of the 20th century, thanks to the French chemist R. Gattefosse, who was engaged in the perfume business at that time, aromatic oils were revived.

Once at Gattefosse, during laboratory experiments, an explosion occurred, after which he severely burned his hand, and in order to somehow relieve the pain, he put his hand into a container with lavender essence.

To his surprise, the hand after the burn healed very quickly, and even scars did not form. After this incident, Gattefosse began to conduct research on medicinal properties essential oils.

When the world's first World War, Gattefosse tried in the treatment of the wounded and sick, to use various essential oils. The results were amazing, almost all patients survived and recovered without complications.

For the treatment of the wounded, he used aromatic oils of thyme, chamomile and lemon. It was from Gattefosse that the word aromatherapy came from - treatment using aromatic oils.

The second researcher in this area was Professor P. Rovesti. Through his research, he was able to prove that depression can be relieved by inhaling various herbs, as well as anxiety.

According to the professor, aromatic smells help a person to release various emotions, which in turn could provoke a number of different diseases.

Already in those days when mankind worshiped fire, various aromatic substances were actively used. Every grain of knowledge gained as a result of the use of incense in various spheres of human life was accumulated and passed from mouth to mouth, then these recipes began to be written down and passed on to the younger generation.

In these records, you can learn all the secrets of the healing magic of all fragrant plants from which essential oils are obtained. After all, it is not in vain that certain incense is still used in worship, folk medicine and magical rituals.

Smell

If we consider all the senses of a person, then we can conclude that the sense of smell is the fastest in terms of the speed of information transfer to the brain. It happens instantly, on a subconscious level. And if you measure the numerical value of the sensitivity of the nose, you can get very large numbers.
When scientists studied the structure and functions of the brain, a very important discovery was made.

This discovery is that the area that is responsible for conscious thinking originates from the area that is responsible for the human sense of smell.

Also on this site all the emotional processes that occur with a person take place. Even in the ancient teachings of Thoth, this area was called the "center of the brain." In connection with everything said above, the nose can be safely called a real nasal brain. This is because the cerebral centers of the brain are interconnected with the sinuses, hence we can say that there is a connection with the human sense of smell.

When a person inhales air with a certain smell, the following happens inside the nose. First, the process of dissolving aromas in the nasal mucosa occurs, and then the nerve endings of the olfactory nerve are irritated, and information about the smell that is inhaled is transmitted from it to the hypothalamus through certain cells.

Very important is the fact that almost all information about the smell goes exactly to the hypothalamus. This is due to the fact that this part of the brain is responsible for a lot of things that can happen in the human body.

These functions include temperature, hunger, growth, awakening, thirst, blood sugar, sleep, and sexual arousal. The hypothalamus is also responsible for angry and joyful emotions.

In parallel with the hypothalamus, information about smell is transmitted to the hippocampus, this area is responsible for functions such as memory, attention and images. Therefore, for each person, a particular fragrance has an association with a certain event that once happened to him.

In this regard, it is safe to say that when a person inhales a smell, a certain signal is sent to the brain, which then spreads throughout the body.

Smells affect people's mood and health

Mankind lives in a world that is filled with various smells that we constantly breathe in. But a person simply does not feel most of the stimuli, but distinguishes their brain, so the smell of a large number of smells occurs at a subconscious level.
If we consider the conscious reaction to smells, then we can imagine the human brain as a computer that processes all the information received from the outside.

At the same time, he needs to review each impulse and attribute it to a specific group, which can relate to threats and dangers to a person, or vice versa, bringing pleasant sensations. For example, the aroma of cooked food in a person will cause only pleasant sensations. But the smoke from the fire will create anxiety.

As everyone knows, a person is a spiritual person, for whom pleasure and joy are not in last place, striving to get as many of them as possible in life. But we must remember that any smell, in addition to positive emotions, can also bring negative sensations.

In this regard, each of us strives to make everything around us smell fragrant, and we try to remove or avoid everything that smells bad. Therefore, each of us has a favorite scent of eau de toilette, which uplifts the mood and creates a pleasant space around us.

It has already been proven that by using certain fragrances, a lot can be achieved in trade, on the part of buyers. Also, with the help of a certain smell, you can activate mental activity, and, consequently, performance.

The English poet D.Zh. Byron noticed that the muse visited him only if his room was fumigated with the smell of truffles. And at one time, Avicenna proved that it was rose essential oil that promotes better thinking, increasing speed.

In 1939, the physiologist D. I. Shatenshtein scientifically substantiated and proved that in nature there are stimuli that affect the body, as well as its functions and performance.

In business, you can use a variety of fragrant smells that help increase productivity and the quality of any job. This is especially practiced by many firms in Japan.

With the help of the air conditioning system in all rooms, a certain smell is supplied to each workplace, which helps workers to tune in to the working mood and increase their ability to work. Some businesses distribute certain flavors through a computer system.

In the Japanese company Sumica, a special rest room was created for this effect, and if an employee believes that work is becoming a burden for him, he can come and receive a charge of positive energy.

Also, many directors spray a special mixture of “aromatic activator” in the room where the event will be held before convening a meeting. Company employees Sumitsu has developed aromatic blends of strong-smelling plants and flowers that enhance the performance of professionals such as programmers and typists.

It has already been proven that when programmers inhale a certain smell, the number of errors decreases: by inhaling the aroma of jasmine, the number of errors becomes lower than usual by 3%, with the aroma of lavender - by about 20%, with the smell of lemon, this figure is 54%.
It has also been proven that the aroma of essential oils of plants such as musk, eucalyptus and lemon has a positive effect on mental work, excites the nervous system, relieves fatigue and increases efficiency.

If we consider the effect of rosemary on a person, then we can confidently say that this aroma will help make the process of learning more enjoyable, as it helps to stimulate memory.

The smell of a rose will be useful if a person needs to concentrate on something and quickly and efficiently complete a number of tasks. And for perfect essential oils of orange, rose, sandalwood, lavender and rosemary.

In clinical and laboratory studies, it has been established that a certain smell has the ability to reduce stress and relax. During 18 years of research, patients of different ages were allowed to smell a specific smell during relaxation - apricot.

The essence of this experiment was to give a certain aroma to a person when he is completely relaxed. As a result, those patients who participated in the study learned to relax as soon as they heard a familiar smell.

This relaxation option will be very useful for older people who are most susceptible to various stressful situations. For this generation of people, stress can arise even at the slightest turmoil, not to mention the fact that they most often lose someone close to them, cannot serve themselves, and are very worried about crisis situations in the country. Any situation can unsettle older people and put them into a state of stress.

Also, an electroencephalograph was connected to the study, which monitors the brain activity of patients. After the person was seated in a chair and everything necessary was fixed on it, the patient was allowed to smell a certain smell.

The study was aimed at studying mental activity under the influence of specific aromas. For this, the aroma of rosemary, peppermint and basil was used.

According to the results of the examination, it was found that there was more beta radiation in the encephalogram, which indicates increased mental activity, and the patient completed the proposed tasks much earlier than the person who did not inhale the aroma of these plants did.

It has also been proven that during sleep a person also feels all the smells. And this fact can be used to correct any restless sleep.

After conducting studies on an electroencephalograph among two groups, one of which included healthy people, and the other - patients suffering from psychosis, it was proved that the aroma of rose and jasmine stabilizes nervous system and also improves sleep. In folk medicine, hop cones are used to improve sleep, which are sewn into pillows.

Odor associations

English scientists conducted a study on the subject of human response to certain aromas. After conducting tests, scientists came to the conclusion that for any person, every smell evokes certain associations, that is, every smell in the world has an associative character. From this we can conclude that every event that took place in a person's life was accompanied by a certain aroma.

Eventually certain event remembered with a specific smell.
As a result, all our life we ​​can remember at any moment, any moment that once happened in your life, be it positive or negative. And often it happens at the most inopportune moments.

Imagine that once in his youth a person had a fight with one of his relatives, and at that moment there was a smell of lilac in the room, which was on the table. And already years later, having felt the painfully familiar smell of lilac, the mood of this person will deteriorate, he will become irritable and touchy. The thing is that the person has already forgotten what happened then, but the subconscious mind remembers that in the presence of the smell of lilac, the person had a bad mood.

With literacy, using certain aromas, you can help a person get rid of emotions that are very deeply hidden. This fact is important for those people who have diseases associated with the suppression of emotions. And when they are released, a person usually begins the process of recovery.

With the help of rosemary aromas, you can not only stimulate memory perfectly, but also get rid of this kind of stress. And this important fact can help anyone who wants it all his life.

Scientists have proven that processes such as neurological and hormonal are interconnected with the sense of smell. And, in their opinion, in the near future, using various aromas, it will be possible to correct the working capacity, mood, behavior and emotions of a person.

And this is not fiction, this is already a proven fact, which has already begun to be applied worldwide in various spheres of human life. Therefore, make it a rule to never part with pleasant aromas for you.

The smell of the human body

Arguing on the topic of smells and aromas, one cannot help but recall the smell of the human body. After all, each person is individual in itself, which means that his smell is also unique. After all, animals find their owner by his unique smell.
Of course, the main smell of a person is sweat. But a newborn baby recognizes his mother only by the smell that she exudes along with sweat, he still does not see or hear, but the child’s sense of smell is already developed, even more than that of an adult.

Human sweat and its smell are still poorly understood, but many scientists are striving to study it. According to Agni Yoga, the excretory system of a person has a direct connection with the aura of a person, and his mental reactions.

Therefore, the concept of this connection, a complete study of sweat and human smell could help to understand the unity and mutual understanding of the two worlds of mankind - the spiritual and the physical.

It has already been proven that with certain emotional outbursts, a chemical reaction occurs in the human body, which can be felt in the form of a certain smell in sweat. Differences can be found in the simplest.

For example, the sweat that came out as a result of hard work, and the sweat resulting from the saturation of delicious food.

Sweat while reading a prayer will also be different from the sweat of self-interest and wind up. Just like the sweat of an athlete during a run is different from the sweat of a runaway bully. And this is because each of these people had their own emotional state.

During a strong excitement or sudden fear, a person suddenly begins to sweat, this is due to the fact that during this a certain reaction occurs in the body - energy conversion, which in turn causes sweat with a certain smell.

When a person's mental state changes, the color of his aura also changes. This relationship will always be interesting, and every scientist wants to unravel this mystery, to find the thread that connects a certain smell of sweat with its effect on others.

There is one fact in history that demonstrates the effect of a person's scent on others in an enclosed space. It happened on the first spaceships when the team was overwhelmed by general fear and depression, all people became aggressive.

This is due to the fact that the air in the cabin was not completely cleaned, and the smell of panicking people remained on the ship - the smell of panic and fear. This is where the phrase “smell of fear” came from, which gives confidence that there is a smell of other human emotions - love, hatred, resentment, etc.

This is confirmed by dogs that have a highly developed sense of smell - scent. In different situations, they will react differently to a person: they can start throwing themselves, or vice versa, come up to be stroked, or start growling in defense of their offspring. They feel human emotions with their nose.

But even a person can sometimes catch unusual aromas that cannot be explained in any way. These two unusual aromas are reminiscent of the smell of flowers and the smell of burning and sulfur. It is difficult to say where this or that fragrance came from, especially if the person who is in the room is in the room himself and did not spray anything.

For an explanation, one can turn to Agni Yoga. In addition to the physical world in which a person lives, there is also the Subtle World, which is full of various flavors that are inaudible in our world.

When a person begins to feel the subtle aroma of flowers, it can be argued that there is a subtle energy of the Good Beginning nearby, which is transformed into the aroma of violets or freesia.

After all, it is not for nothing that we feel a floral aroma near the icons and relics of saints. There is a belief that when a light aura returns a particular person to a bloodless realm, then he is given a pleasant smell of flowers.

And the Evil Inclination can be recognized by the unpleasant smell of sulfur or burning. According to an Agni Yogi, people possessed by evil spirits can be recognized precisely by this unpleasant smell, which is emitted along with a person's sweat.

Create a good mood!

Nothing lifts your mood like the right essential oils. They act on the hidden facets of human perception, so they quickly find "small holes" that prevent people from being happy and cheerful.

What is most interesting and amazing is that essential oils, with their invisible cover of smells, can create real miracles that can only be felt, but not seen.

If there are problems with mental stress, there is often a feeling of fatigue, although the working day has only recently begun, then essential oils such as mint and sage will come to the rescue, eucalyptus and lavender oil will serve as an excellent addition to this duet.

To help people with the help of essential oils, science has introduced a new branch of psychological orientation, which is called aromapsychology. It is not aimed at suggesting to people that aromatic oils can help them, but rather encourages them to try and feel the effect that can be used to achieve those sensations that a person lacks. You can learn more about this direction on ours.
Everyone is able to change what gives him excitement and anxiety.

It's not time to give up!

A person may well help himself on his own, because the mood has always been subject to the person himself, and not to the doctor to whom many turn. Willpower and strength of mind do not play a special role here, the most important thing here is to understand what is happening in the general state and how to help it, tune in.

Help is always closer than it seems, and much more accessible than expected.
The ability to control oneself is an opportunity that is given only to a person. Sometimes you just need to let go and think, is it worth restraining yourself?

Maybe, on the contrary, it is necessary to open up and allow yourself to be helped in ways that were not previously understood by consciousness.

Learn to control your mood - it's a completely easy process!

Memories have a fairly large positive energy, which is able to cope with various worries and experiences.

It is enough to remember the spring smell of the first date with a loved one and the mood immediately rises.
Be happy!

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Have you ever wondered how many smells we smell per day? And for a lifetime? If you add everything up, you get an infinite number. Moreover, each scent is unique. Some aromas can upset us, anger us, others, on the contrary, touch and cheer us up. And there are those that favorably affect our well-being and health.

Agree, surely this means something? Remember how your mood rises when, on the eve of the New Year, you caught the smell of tangerine?

And how does it feel warm and calm in the soul when you feel the aroma of your own child or mother? Definitely, you can't confuse this with anything.

And in this article, together with you, we will find out what is the secret of the effect of odors on the body? Moreover, we will figure out which aroma will increase our efficiency, improve memory, strengthen immunity and relieve colds.

The Science of Smell

It turns out that scientists have been studying the influence of aromas on our psyche for a very long time. WITH scientific point this is called aromatherapy. Well, it's time to find out what it is.

aromatherapy is a science that studies how the body is affected by aromatic substances, which are obtained, as a rule, from plants. The main ingredients of aromatherapy are essential oils.

When choosing essential oils, choose only natural oils. At the same time, observe the correct dosage and do not use those oils, the smell of which repels you or is not pleasant.

How can fragrance affect me?

The mechanism of action of aromatherapy can be divided into three groups:

1. From the point of view of physiology– essential oils are able to restore, soothe and stimulate tissues and internal organs person.
2. From the point of view of psychology- the aroma of oils provokes emotional changes that are individual in nature.
3. From a pharmacological point of view- oils at the chemical level affect the body, while the interaction occurs with acids, enzymes, hormones and other elements of our system.

Very often, at the end of a hard day at work, we feel a breakdown and a decrease in mental activity. It turns out that there is a natural and harmless way to increase your efficiency. And as you may have guessed, we are talking about essential oils.

Here are the ideal fragrances:

• verbena
• ginger
• juniper
• sage
• jasmine
• tea tree

Interesting fact, in Japan, some companies have developed a special air conditioning system to increase the productivity of employees. Such a system sends its perfectly matched scent to each person in order to position the employee in such a way for inspiration and performance.

So, the number of errors among programmers when inhaling jasmine oil decreased by 3%, lavender - by 20%, lemon - by as much as 54%. Impressive, isn't it?

To improve mood and relieve fatigue

In moments of depression and terrible fatigue, essential oils such as:

• lemon oil
• lavender
• orange
• sandalwood
• Eucalyptus
• Musk
• Chamomile

To improve memory and increase concentration, it is suitable:

• rosemary oil
• carnations
• Neroli
• Muscat

To get rid of a cold

As a prevention of colds, as well as to combat existing viruses and bacteria, use essential oils:

• Lemon
• geranium
• Melissa
• Eucalyptus

Many inflammatory processes and common skin diseases are treated with oil:

For health promotion and prevention

Anise, rose, geranium, sandalwood, fennel, lavender oil is best suited.

And in conclusion

What interesting things did we learn in this article? It turns out that a properly selected fragrance is truly capable of creating a miracle, albeit a small one. For example, to protect us from colds, make the skin even more beautiful, strengthen the immune system and improve mood.

The range of meaning of smell in human life is extremely wide. It extends from a biological, protective function to a variety of emotional and psychological states, general well-being. Smells affect the mood and health of people.

The world of smells surrounds us everywhere and continuously. Dozens of irritants penetrate the human nasal cavity every minute. However, only a few of them we discern consciously. Most reactions to environmental odors are subconscious.

The value of our sense of smell is often undeservedly downplayed. However, the results of new research by scientists in this direction demonstrate that the effect of smells on a person is actually huge. Moreover, smells can enhance concentration, memory and mental endurance.

Until recently, the mechanism of action of odors on our brain was little understood. But today the minds of researchers are absorbed in the question of the influence of smell on our behavior and perception - it turns out that with the help of smells it is even possible to treat certain diseases. So, in one of the French clinics, smells are used to help “reboot” the brain of patients in a coma and bring them out of this state. Smells have found their place in the world of art, where they create a special atmosphere with their help. For example, in the New York Children's Museum, the aroma of fresh homemade bread, just taken out of the oven, reigns.

At the same time, scientists have noticed that smells help to concentrate better, assimilate information, increase efficiency, and therefore can be used to improve one's own performance. But to understand how scents are associated with high grades in school and career achievement, let's look at the inner workings of our brain and how and why it reacts to various olfactory stimuli.

Reactions of our body

Smell is volatile molecules, and not the same ones at all. A single odor can be made up of different molecules, but the olfactory environment in a room can be made up of a range of odor sources. Molecules, getting into the nose, act on certain receptors, and they transmit data to the brain about the concentration, nature and duration of exposure to this very smell.

First of all, information enters the olfactory bulb, then it is transmitted to the cerebral hemispheres, and from there to the limbic system. It is she who is associated with human emotions, memory, sleep and the sexual sphere. The limbic system forms emotional reactions to smells, which is why they primarily affect our internal state - we feel alert and full of energy, or, conversely, we relax, feel peace and sleepiness.

How smells affect a person In addition, odor molecules enter the pituitary gland, which produces hormones that are responsible for growth, metabolism and reproduction. The pituitary gland also produces hormones that connect it like bridges to the outside of the brain. This is where the most complex thought processes take place.

An important role in the development of olfactronics (the science of the influence of odors on the brain) was played by tomography. Skeptics who believe that the sense of smell is not so important for us, had to back down under the pressure of demonstrative experiments. Experiments have shown that under the influence of certain volatile molecules, various parts of the brain are activated, which means that aromas really affect its work.

For example, on tomographic images, it was clearly seen that the smell of lavender activates the hippocampus (emotions), the thalamus (connection with the senses) and the hypothalamus (it produces hormones that affect brain function). At the same time, the gyrus, which is responsible for touch and movement of the limbs, significantly reduced its activity under the influence of lavender, which means that this plant can be successfully used to stop epilepsy attacks. Lavender inhibits the activity of the sympathetic nervous system, which is activated during stress - that is, it can act as a sedative.

Moreover, lavender essential oil contains a very important substance for our life - serotonin. By the way, it is also found in hashish and our brain. Serotonin performs a large number of tasks. Its lack provokes an increase in pain sensitivity, serotonin is responsible for motor activity, improves mood and gives a feeling of joy. If there is too little or too much of it in the brain, it can cause mental disorders.

Choosing smells

Each smell has a certain effect on our nervous system and the body as a whole. Some help to collect thoughts and increase tone, others relax, which means they interfere with hard work.

For example, lavender, lemon balm and thyme activate the sleep area in the brain, but eucalyptus, rosemary, sage, lemon, basil and mint relieve drowsiness, give vigor and a desire to work. The smell of wormwood and lemon makes a person more precise and faster in his studies.

Lavender, sage and eucalyptus improve memory, so they are great helpers for students preparing for a session. The top stimulating scents were cited by the researchers as lemon, mint, rosemary, and neroli oil, which is extracted from orange blossoms.

For example, in Sweden, experiments were conducted that showed that lemon essential oil, the vapors of which hovered in the office, helped secretaries make 54 percent fewer typos and errors in documents.

The effect of odors on mood and human health But the essential oil of calamus and the smell of valerian root, on the contrary, soothe and relax, which can be used in cases where it is vital to get enough sleep before an important event.

The Power of Associations

In addition to the fact that smells trigger certain chemical reactions in the brain, aromas have another effect - sensing them, we fall under the power of associations. It all depends on what events, pictures, feelings and emotions this smell accompanied. Associations can be both national and individual.

For example, the smell of camphor (generally pleasant) evokes negative associations with the disease for many, because camphor is part of rubbing ointments and other preparations. From the smell of incense, believers have a feeling of holiness, joy, bliss - and all because of the fact that churches are smoked with incense during divine services. Among the inhabitants of eastern countries, such as India and China, incense will not cause such emotions - its role is played by juniper, from which incense is made for temples.

The smell of gaultheria provokes completely different emotions in the inhabitants of the UK and the USA - in the United Kingdom this plant was previously used in the manufacture of medicines (therefore, the associations are negative), and in the states they make sweets from it.

How to benefit from smells?

In order for smells to become our allies, it is necessary to remember two main rules.

1. The fragrance should not be too strong. This is exactly the case when it is better to underdo than to overdo it. Too strong odors cause a headache - in this case, it is not just the result of long contact with a source of intense odor, but also a warning mechanism.

It works like this: there is a special nerve on the face that reacts to a strong concentration of volatile substances in the air. The nerve sends a signal of danger to the brain, which spreads a feeling of discomfort throughout the body. Thus, the brain motivates a person to get away from the source of a strong smell that can be harmful to health (this can be smoke or toxic chemicals).

2. To make the effect of smell on human performance as effective as possible, use its physiological effect on the body and associative memory at the same time. Accustom yourself to the same scent that you will use at the beginning of the work or study process. Associations will work, giving the brain a command: “Attention! Need to concentrate! Now the work will begin!

It can be an invigorating toilet water or essential oil, or maybe fresh herbs or a lemon cut in half. You can light an aroma lamp or sprinkle perfume on your wrist, and then smell it. The main thing is not to use smells with a sedative effect for this purpose, because in this case the associations will go against the grain. natural reactions brain.

Perhaps the time is not far off when smells will be widely used to increase the efficiency of mental activity in schools, universities and offices. But now everyone can apply this experience to achieve success in a career or study.

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The ability to smell and distinguish smells plays a huge role in the life of animals. Smell for many of them is quite an important sense in hunting or escaping from predators. So, hoofed animals smell a creeping enemy from afar, which allows them to hide in time from his fangs and claws. Representatives of the cat find their prey by smell, and wolves and dogs can smell the trail. In many species, babies and mothers, as well as other members of the same group, recognize each other by smell. In general, animals cannot do without the sense of smell.

People are also animals, albeit highly organized ones. But at the same time, they stubbornly ignore the importance of smells, preferring to keep in touch with the outside world through touch, hearing and sight. Odors play a rather aesthetic role (smells or stinks), and in some cases can warn of danger (gas, rotten food, smoke, chemicals). We can distinguish the most intense and memorable smells - favorite food, flowers, perfumes; we can even remember how the people we love smell like.

How odors affect a person But if we talk about the impact of odors on a person's behavior and condition, the sense of smell in this case is significantly underestimated and even treated with irony. But nevertheless, experiments conducted in America showed that smells affect not only our mood, but also our behavior, as well as the general condition of the body. They can change blood pressure, heart rate, make a person aroused or sleepy. Experiments have also shown that some aromas can remove depressive states and improve the emotional background in patients with mental disorders.

Best of all, a person is affected by natural aromas contained in herbs, fruits, berries or animals. Smells enclosed in vegetable essential oils have a positive effect already at a low concentration.

Our ancestors have long thought about how smells affect humans. The ancient sages were well aware of the magical properties of aromas, so they used them to enter various emotional states. Almost two millennia BC, myrrh and frankincense were placed in the walls of temples so that believers would experience certain states when visiting a sacred place. Five hundred years BC, the first incense factory appeared in Corinth.

V holy book Muslims compare incense to food that awakens the spirit - and this is really true. The nerve responsible for the transmission of olfactory signals is directly connected to the brain. The nose is the only human sense organ that has no intermediaries. After all, sight, touch, taste and hearing are connected to the brain by a whole series of series-connected nerves, and only the nose can send information to our brain, bypassing long chains.

Due to the fact that the sense of smell is directly connected with the limbic system, odor molecules can have such a profound effect on our emotions, psyche, and consciousness. And, according to scientists, the effect is provided even with a small, almost imperceptible concentration of a fragrant substance in the air.

Thus, various odors are able to regulate blood pressure, change the rhythm of breathing, affect skin temperature, hearing, vision, normalize mood, relieve fatigue and stress, improve memory and strengthen sleep.

Essential oil is the quintessential smell of a plant, or in other words, volatile substances that can be isolated from a certain type of plant. About 3,000 essential oils are known, of which several hundred are commercially available. On the example of essential oils, the finest, most thorough work of nature is especially clearly visible; indeed, a natural essential oil may contain hundreds of different compounds, and its properties depend even on the components present in the most insignificant quantities.

Odors affect the physical and emotional condition person. Research results show that certain scents can make a person feel tense or relaxed. The smell of mint, for example, wakes us up, while the smell of lily of the valley relaxes us. In addition, some of our basic emotions are directly related to smell. So, the researchers argue that the smells of the ocean and freshly made homemade cookies revive very emotional memories in us.

One of the most important research in aromacology is the creation of pheromones - odors that control human sexual behavior. After all, then human behavior can be controlled more effectively than at present.

Numerous studies have shown that pheromones have a strong impact on the behavior and physiological responses of mammals. By olfactory signals, mammals recognize the species and gender of individuals, their physiological state, age, social status, state of health /16/.

The secrets of the human glands contain androstenone, and in men its content is higher than in women. Androstenone and related compounds can alter people's behavior by acting as sex attractants or by influencing people's emotional state and their sexual responses.

Smells can directly affect mood: a simple sensation of a particular smell can lead to a change in a person's mood. At the same time, certain odorants can have a specific effect on mood, causing relaxation, excitement (including sexual) or increased sensuality.

For example, some compounds contained in nutmeg(nutmeg, valerian and others), have a very specific effect, relieving stress. These substances are widely used in aromatherapy: they reduce systolic pressure, relieve feelings of fear, depression, enhance feelings of happiness, calmness and have a relaxing effect. In aromatherapy, the influence of a number of essential oils on the emotional state of a person (lavender, jasmine and others) is known /6/.

In addition to specific effects, odors can have a non-specific effect on a person's mood. Pleasant smells improve mood, while unpleasant smells can worsen it. Therefore, people actively change the odorous environment in which they are located: they ventilate the premises, fumigate them with incense, use perfumes.

Smells can be stored in a person's emotional memory for a long time and activate emotional memory. Therefore, odors are often used as stimuli in the study of human long-term memory. The relationship of smell with a certain context is remembered. Odor stimuli have the ability to stimulate memory and imagination, often accompanied by strong emotions similar to those experienced in a situation associated with a particular smell.

Smells associated with emotions affect human behavior depending on individual experience. For example, an odor that was present during a difficult task can cause stress if the subject encounters it later. In one study, subjects were offered 254 odors related to food, home, and other people. It turned out that the presentation of smells often evoked in people's memory certain episodes and images that had an emotional connotation. The smells of a person often evoked associations with a mother, a loved one, parents, friends.

Smell experience has an impact on the subconscious mind and behavior similar to that of certain emotions. Based on the idea that pleasant smells elicit positive feedback from other people, a study was conducted in which men were asked about women's first impressions. It turned out that perfumed women were more attracted to men and inspired romantic mood if they were dressed "informally". Perfumed, usually dressed women did not cause such assessments.

Smells can act as catalysts, enhancing one or another emotional state. For example, applying a pleasant smell to the body of a beloved (beloved) can greatly increase his (her) attractiveness as a sexual partner.

The connection between the emotional plane of a person and his sense of smell has long been known. Throughout the history of mankind, an integral part of the most diverse cults and religions has been and remains the creation of a certain spiritual mood among believers by influencing their sense of smell. Remember the burning of precious incense on the altars of pagan gods, the smoking of incense in Asiatic temples, or incense in Catholic cathedrals, and Orthodox churches /5/.

It should be noted that the specificity of a particular culture is always superimposed on the reflexes of smell perception common to all people. So, a European can be excited by the smell of church incense, it will create a special spiritual mood in him. But this smell does not say anything to the Indian Buddhist, who is dominated by the incomprehensible and strange aromas of Asian incense for a European. In people of different cultures, the same smell can cause different associations. Attitudes towards smells are influenced not only by culture, but also by geographical position country, its level of development, mentality and much more.

The sharpness of smell fades approximately 15 minutes after contact with an odorous substance, however, its effect persists for quite a long time due to the release of a number of substances by nerve cells - neurochemical regulators (adrenaline, norepinephrine, serotonin, enkephalin, endorphins).

Moreover, the psychological and physiological effects of odors, apparently, are provided by two mechanisms: associative and reflex. In the cerebral cortex, olfactory sensations evoke certain individual associations associated with the habitual representations of a person. So, for most people, stimulating odors give pleasant, bright, spicy, warm associations that excite the nervous system. It has been established that pleasant odors increase the skeletal strength of the muscles, while unpleasant ones reduce it /4/.

A person's response to smell depends not only on cortical associations, but also on a subcortical reflex mechanism. It is associated with the development of olfactory reflexes specific to each aromatic plant, determined by olfactory receptors. In this case, the smell should fit the receptor like a key to a lock. That is why synthetic fragrances used, for example, in perfumery, do not act on the body in the same way as similar vegetable essential oils. They can only evoke associations - the memory of natural smells. Specific olfactory reflexes usually do not occur during their action. This is due to the complex multicomponent structure of natural aromatic substances, which cannot be completely recreated in the laboratory.