Here’s something you don’t read about every day…
According to a group of scientists in the United Kingdom, what you smell can determine how you feel about yourself.
Researchers from the University of Sussex believe certain smells help promote a better body image and a healthier lifestyle and according to their study, sniffing lemons can make you feel thinner, while the scent of vanilla does the opposite.
“Previous research has shown that lemon is associated with thin silhouettes, spiky shapes and high-pitched sounds while vanilla is associated with thick silhouettes, rounded shapes and low-pitched sounds,” says Marianna Obrist, head of the SCHI Lab.
This news might sound strange, but their research plays a huge role in treating body eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia.
Experts believe that if they can fit these odors into wearable devices or “interactive clothes,” it will boost self-esteem in everyday life.
“These body perceptions are continuously updated in response to sensory inputs received from outside and inside the body. Our study shows how the sense of smell can influence the image we have in our mind of our body and on the feelings and emotions towards it. Being able to positively influence this perception through technology could lead to novel and more effective therapies for people with body perception disorders or the development of interactive clothes and wearable technology that could use scent to enhance people’s self-confidence and recalibrate distorted feelings of body weight,” the PhD student in the Sussex Computer-Human Interaction (SCHI) Lab adds.
To learn more about the research, watch this short video, and listen to the audio below. Enjoy!
