Scents can trigger emotions

Dec. 23, 2004

Mary Jo Kreitzer, director, Center for Spirituality and Healing, University of Minnesota, discussed scents and essential oils on the Dec. 23, 2004 KARE-11 Today Show.

Is it true that certain scents can affect your holiday gatherings? How?

When we breathe in scents, an area of the brain called the limbic system is activated. The limbic system is also called the emotional brain – which explains why smells can trigger emotions.

Scents also evoke emotions through memory associations. The smell of lavender can be very pleasant if your grandmother wore lavender and the relationship with your grandmother was good. On the other hand, that same scent could be create stress if the relationship with your grandmother was not a happy one.

How can you select the right smells for the situation?

In the case of essential oils ( or aromatherapy), you need to understand how the various oils work and what effect you are trying to achieve. For example:

• Lavender oil tends to be relaxing and can be effective in reducing mild to moderate anxiety. It also has been used to help people sleep.

• Peppermint is a stimulant for many people and has been used to treat fatigue.

• Rosemary is a stimulant shown to improve mental clarity.

• Citrus oils such as mandarin and sweet orange have an uplifting effect on many people.

• This time of year, many people have pleasant associations with the smell of pine. Pine essential oils have not been studied for their mood altering properties – but at this time of year, many of us KNOW that pine smell makes us feel good and the air smell fresh.

Essential oils and your health care

There is a lot of research being done to find out which oils are effective. At Childrens’ Hospital, they are using ginger and spearmint to reduce nausea. At the CSpH, one of our faculty members is conducting a study of tea tree oil – to see if it is effective in treating wounds.

Scent sensitivity issues

People with allergies or sensitivities are less likely to react to pure essential oils than to perfumes or artificial scents. I think that it is wise to be very cautious about adding a scent to an environment that is shared by many people. I suggest that you make sure that no one has a severe allergy to scents. It is also important to keep essential oils out of the reach of children. Just because something is natural, doesn’t mean it is safe!

For more information on scents, check out the University of Minnesota's Center for Spirituality and Healing.