Fragrancing - the smell of success

22nd of October 2015
Fragrancing - the smell of success

We all have our favourite smells but as human beings we rely less on our noses to help us navigate the world, and use them as something to help us enjoy it a little more. And researchers have discovered that the human sense of smell is actually far more powerful than originally thought. Writing for ECJ, direct365 takes a look at the science of smell, and how different scents in the workplace can impact people’s mood.

The smell of roasted coffee in the morning, baking cookies wafting through the house, freshly-cut grass on a sunny day. We all have our favourite smells but as human beings we rely less on our noses to help us navigate the world, and use them as something to help us enjoy it a little more.

Because we live in such a highly visual and fast-paced world where everything is loud and bright, our sense of smell has become somewhat under-used, but you may be surprised at the important role it plays in our everyday lives. Certain smells have different effects on us; the smell of gas alerts us to danger, a rotten smell tells us not to eat that food and a gentle fragrance can relax us, even if we don’t realise it at the time.

The science behind our noses

Researchers at the Rockefeller University and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute have discovered that the human sense of smell is actually far more powerful than originally thought. Scientists have always claimed that our sense of smell was limited to 10,000 different odours, however researchers have gone even further by testing the senses of volunteers using very specific odour molecules that had been individually crafted for the experiment. From the results, the scientists estimated that the average human being is able to distinguish between one trillion individual odours, if not more.

We all know that our sense of smell is very strongly linked to our memories; the faintest whiff of a familiar scent can send our minds tumbling backwards to remember moments long past. But did you know that what we smell can actually affect the way we think and feel? A pungent odour can cause your mood to plummet, and leave you feeling disgruntled and uncomfortable, whereas a light pleasant scent can lift the spirits and put you in a great mood. But how can people use this to their advantage?

Scents and the city

Good and bad smells are around us all the time; when we walk down the street or into a shop, but we only visit these places fleetingly. We spend the majority of our time at home or at our place of work, so these important locations are far more likely to have long-term effects on our moods and emotions.

You can have the most perfectly decorated office in the world, with the most productive and stimulating colours and the best use of natural light, but if there’s a nasty smell lingering around then people aren’t going to be able to concentrate. It can dampen their mood and it can even distract them from tasks at hand, not to mention make people feel ill if it is left untreated for too long.

As we all know, the office bathroom is one of the worse contenders for bad smells. With dozens of people traipsing in and out all day, it’s no wonder that walking in can sometimes cause you to wrinkle your nose. Not only can a terrible smelling bathroom result in disgruntled employees, but it could also put off potential clients, especially if they pop off during a meeting only to be met with a terrible odour in the bathroom. You never get a second chance at a first impression, and something as simple as a bad smell could result in an unhappy client returning to the table.

Maintaining a clean and fresh-smelling bathroom is obviously important for hygiene reasons, but keeping the people in and around the office happy should be another good motivation. What’s important is to get the balance just right.

Too much of a good thing?

We all know the phrase “everything in moderation”, but did you know that it also applies to freshening up your bathroom? There are two extremes when it comes to air fresheners: a dreadful pungent odour and, at the other end of the spectrum, an overwhelmingly strong scent of chemicals that catches in your nose; there’s a perfect balance to be struck here.

Spraying a can of air freshener around the room every once in a while will do nothing to get rid of the bad smells, and could actually just make them worse. Pure chemical fragrances only mask the scent rather than remove it from the air and, as it lingers, can react with the bad bathroom smell to make it even worse.

To really have an impact in the room, the best option is to use air freshener units that can be installed directly into your bathroom and emit a spray of fragrance at regular intervals. This keeps the horrible odours at bay, whilst also refreshing the bathroom with a subtle yet pleasant smell.

A scent by any other name

Certain scents won’t just make us feel happy or sad; scientists have discovered that it actually works on a much deeper level than that. So much research has actually gone into this topic, to discover how our brains and senses are affected by the smells around us, and studies have found that even tiny differences can have an impact on our mood.

Stephen Warrenburg, research fellow at IFF, discovered that the citrus smell of a clementine caused people to feel both happy and stimulated, whereas the gentle scent of vanilla made the participants feel happy and relaxed. Although they were both pleasant enough, they were found to have vastly different effects. When it comes to putting the finishing touches on your perfect office environment, you can use this knowledge to your advantage to make sure your employees feel stimulated and happy, whilst also impressing clients.

Lemon and jasmine scents have been found to improve our cognitive brain performance, as well as boosting our overall mood, which makes it perfect for an office environment. You don’t even have to consciously notice the smell in order for it to have an effect on you, so installing air freshener sprays in your office bathrooms that emit a gentle yet invigorating lemon smell will keep your visitors motivated and thinking hard.

Morale boosting

Other great scents that stimulate the brain include grapefruit and rosemary, as these are thought to be strong morale boosters and could even improve our long-term memory! There’s plenty of research out there to do with which smells are best for your office; it’s all about figuring out the best one for you. Orange is known to reduce anxiety so would be perfect for a doctor’s lounge, whereas cinnamon is thought to improve creative thinking.

You will hear people talk a lot about the art of creating the perfect office; which colours are the best, how to get the most natural light and the benefits of ergonomic furniture. And while all of these are still incredibly important, our sense of smell should not be ignored. The office acts as a home away from home for your employees and like it or not, visitors will judge you on the environment you work in.

Take the time to think about the science behind our senses to improve the moods of your employees, make them more productive and impress potential clients. You could make your office a much more engaging, productive and happy place, not to mention pleasant for everyone - simply by adding this little finishing touch.

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