According To Studies, Vanilla Scent Helps Calm And Reduce Anxiety

Illustration of vanilla scent can create a calming and warm atmosphere (iStockphoto)

YOGYAKARTA – Vanilla, in the early 1990s, was introduced as a perfume which is currently the dominant fragrance. Some perfume production houses have a vanilla variant as one of their scents. Reported by the Social Issues Research Center page, Friday, June 24, the vanilla-based fragrance recalls fond childhood memories related to the soothing warmth of milk.

Other searches noted the suitability of the vanilla scent to be 'softer, more caring' from the 1990s. On the other hand, in the 80s, restaurants banned vanilla perfume because it prevented customers from enjoying their food.

An experiment showed that most people have difficulty expressing the structure of memory in words. But it is different when it is presented in front of the sense of smell of vanilla. In this study, subjects were treated to visual (object), lexical (name of an object), and olfactory (smell of an object) stimuli. They were asked to write down what came to their mind.

Illustration of vanilla scent can create a calming and warm atmosphere (iStockphoto)

From the results of the writing of participants who followed the experiment, responses to visual and lexical stimuli were much longer than the olfactory mode. Their responses to smells are more emotive and all refer to memories. Not all childhood memories are pleasant, but those associated with vanilla are almost always positive. Like treats, sweet gifts, ice cream holidays, and guilt-free fun.

Vanilla is not only associated with warmth, care and tenderness. But it also has connotations of purity and simplicity. The aroma of vanilla itself is proven to have a positive and beneficial effect. Like studies by psychologists and medical researchers, they show that there is a positive reaction to the smell of vanilla long before perfume makers realize its potential.

Medical research also shows that the smell of vanilla reduces stress and anxiety. In fact, a study in cancer patients who underwent Magnetic Resonance Imaging, or a diagnostic procedure known to cause stress, reported a 63 percent reduction in anxiety when the scent of vanilla was administered during the procedure.

Research conducted at the University of Tubingen, Germany, showed that the smell of vanilla can reduce the startle reflex in humans and animals. The positive effects above are obtained when inhaling the aroma of pure vanilla, not perfume that contains a mixture of other aromas.

Quoting Psychology Today, the scent of vanilla is so good for relaxing people that it can be used to help people stay calm during tests. Wearing vanilla perfume to a job interview can provide an advantage that moves the wearer to a desired new job.