Smells can even help us carry out tasks, according to an experiment by Martin's colleague Alison Gould. In one experiment, subjects completed a tedious "visual vigilance task" in the presence of either no odor, an alerting {peppermint} smell, or a relaxing {bergamot} one. They did better with the peppermint. Another study showed that subjects performed an unchallenging task better when stimulated by an unpleasant smell -in this case, sour milk. A pleasant smell, that of an air freshener, helped them perform complex tasks better.
( Roger Highfield )
[ The Physics of Christmas: From ]
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