The effect of scents in interior spaces - Research Findings Friday

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Yesterday, my friend was about to light up some lemon scented candles in the evening to set a relaxing mood and I had to warn her against it.  Lemon is an energizing scent, better to have in your office, during the day.

I wondered where I remembered this little tidbit of information... and if it was at all true.  This led to some research and I found lots of info that appropriately I would like to share with you on this Research Findings Friday.

Do scents affect our mood and potentially our experience of interior spaces?

Most of us would intuitively say yes, and rightly so.  Actually, our experience of interior spaces (or most things, for that matter) depends on all our senses as well as our personalities, our culture, our memories and experiences.

But let's just focus on scent today - it is Friday after all ;)

Apparently, the part of the brain associated with processing scents lays very close to the part associated with emotional processing and that may explain why scents can strongly affect our mood and therefore our environmental experiences.

But we have to be careful.  As much as scent has the power to put us in a positive mood, it can equally bring upon a negative mood - scents and emotions can become quickly and powerfully associated. And since each of us has our own personal make-up (our own unique life experiences, culture and memories), we have to pay close attention to our reactions and be true to our nose. We must listen to what it is telling us. Not everyone likes the smell of vanilla, even though it has been linked to increased creativity and relaxation. Whatever the reason for their dislike doesn't really matter, because either way they will definitely not feel relaxed in the presence of vanilla scent.

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That said, research in environmental psychology, scent science, aromatherapy - or whatever other title you may fancy - provides us with some general guidelines for which scents have the potential to affect us in what way. Here is a good summary I found (1):

Helps with mental tasks: lemon, jasmine, lavender.


Helps with physical tasks and tedious tasks: peppermint.


Improves mood: lemon, cinnamon and vanilla.


Reduces tension: lavender, cedar.


Reduces anxiety: oranges, floral scents in general (particularly jasmine, lavender, rose and hyacinth), lime, marjoram, bergamot, cypress.


Heightens relaxation: lavender, rose, almond, cedar/pine, bergamot, chamomile, marjoram, heliotrope, sandalwood, vanilla, muguet, ylang-ylang, nutmeg and spiced apple (which has also been shown to reduce blood pressure).  


Improves quality of sleep: jasmine.


Energizing: peppermint, lemon, jasmine, basil, cloves, neroli, patchouli, grapefruit, coffee (even in rats!) and rosemary.  Unpleasant smells are also energizing or arousing, but probably not an ideal choice.


Increases alertness: peppermint.


Improves creativity: vanilla, cinnamon.


Enhance memory: rosemary.


Increase perception of ones own health: lemon and baby powder.


(1) Reference: Augustin, S. (2009). Place Advantage: Applied psychology for interior Architecture (p. 40 - 43). Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.

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An interior designer should take all senses into consideration when designing a space, since it will be experienced by the occupants with all their senses.  Smell is a powerful one. So burning lemon scented candles in a massage therapy room may not be appropriate, unless the person being massaged has developed an association between lemon and relaxation in some early childhood experience ;)

More interesting links on the topic:

- Scent and Sensibility
- Healing Scents
- Meditations on Scent

I wish you all a happy weekend, filled with wonderful scents and favourite aromas.  And remember, when in doubt, follow your nose - it may know things you consciously don't.

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See you next week.