Our sense of smell increases when we’re stressed out.

In humans, the sense of smell is nowhere near as sharp as in most other animal species, like the domestic dog.  However, it still works well enough to greatly effect our emotions, our stress levels and thus, our health.  This is something practitioners of aromatherapy have been saying for ages, but they never really had any modern clinical study to back up their claims. 

Until now.

Northwestern University Study

A recent study from Northwestern University, published in the latest edition of Science, concluded that our sense of smell sharpens when we are stressed because it can help us avoid dangerous situations.   This study is unique in that it was done on all people and no animals.  There were twelve human guinea pigs for this one, all in good health.

The test subjects were given bottles of similar odors to sniff.  For one scent, they were given a mild electric shock.  (Can you say "Pavlov’s dog?")  The brain quickly remembered that scent for all of the subjects (or, at least 70% of the time).  Although science has previously accepted that smells can trigger memories, they hadn’t seen any predictable reaction that the sense of smell can help us, when we’re stressed, to get out of stressful situations.

The Point

The point is that our sense of smell can be a great way to help out relax when under stressful situations.  Aromatherapy which introduces calming scents to the stressed is used by the body more than we originally thought.  When we are panicked, we tend to breathe in shallow breaths, limiting our oxygen intake, which in turn makes us disoriented and more panicked, 

But since out sense of smell automatically kicks it up a notch when we are stressed, we are better able to take in the positive effects of aromatherapy when we’re stressed.  Aromatherapy oils like frankincense, lavender and peppermint encourage the sniffer to automatically breathe deeply and thus get the oxygen they need to make sensible decisions.

In case you were ever wondered if aromatherapy can help you when under stress (as long as your nose works reasonably well), wonder no more. 

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