Nature, smells, and human wellbeing

Bentley, Phoebe R.; Fisher, Jessica C.; Dallimer, Martin; Fish, Robert; Austen, Gail E.; Irvine, Katherine N.; Davies, Zoe G.

doi:10.1007/s13280-022-01760-w

Cited by 33 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 96 publications

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“…Whilst our mixture was also beneficial for cortisol in a non-stress situation, it was not beneficial for cortisol recovery after a stressor. Apart from the physiological response, a subjective response by lower negative affect was also expected since pine odor can stimulate memories and increase happiness (Bentley et al, 2023; Schloss et al, 2015). The applied pine odor was indeed reported as pleasant by 90% of the exposed participants and the used molecules were above average for pleasantness and familiarity in earlier research (Keller & Vosshall, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…BVOCs seem to have an impact on human mental and physiological responses (Antonelli et al, 2020). Via signaling toward memory brain regions, odors that remind us of the outdoors can trigger any of the positive feelings we have about nature (Bentley et al, 2023; Schloss et al, 2015). Related to this, the hedonic value (=pleasantness) of an odor can influence our emotions and related psychophysiology like the autonomic nervous activity and cortisol (Alaoui-Ismaïli et al, 1997; Weber & Heuberger, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Nature-Related Odors Influence Stress and Eating Behavior: A Laboratory Experiment With Pine and Grass Volatiles

Michels,

Boudrez,

Lamprea Pineda

et al. 2023

Environment and Behavior

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Before and after Trier Social Stress Test, 91 participants (18–50 years, 67% women) inhaled one odor during 10 min: Scots pine, grass (=cis-3-hexenol), or control (=demineralized water). Group differences were tested on repeated measurements of stress (affect reports, salivary cortisol and heart rate variability) and eating behavior (food choice and craving). Both nature olfactory exposures improved some stress outcomes. Both were associated with lower cortisol in non-stress conditions, but only grass odor was more beneficial for negative affect decrease after stress. No effect on heart rate variability was seen. Some contradictory findings were present for eating behavior. In non-stress situations, grass odor increased vegetable preference, while the pine odor group had higher sweet high-fat snack preference. Grass odor was also reported to induce healthier food choices. During stress recovery, both pine and grass odor groups had higher preference to sweet high-fat snacks.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nature-Related Odors Influence Stress and Eating Behavior: A Laboratory Experiment With Pine and Grass Volatiles

Michels,

Boudrez,

Lamprea Pineda

et al. 2023

Environment and Behavior

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“…Probably, the dominant differences in people's physical capability are those associated with age. These include declines in sensory capabilities, such as vision and hearing (Bainbridge & Wallhagen, 2014; Klein et al., 1996; Stevens et al., 2013); other senses, such as smell, taste and touch, may also be important to personalized ecologies but have received little attention (Bentley et al., 2023), although they also experience the effects of ageing (Boyce & Shone, 2006; McIntyre et al., 2021). This doubtless has a profound effect on people's personalized ecologies, potentially constraining them substantially particularly in old age.…”

Section: Internal Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterizing personalized ecologies

Gaston

2024

Journal of Zoology

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People have unique sets of direct sensory interactions with wild species, which change through their days, weeks, seasons, and lifetimes. Despite having important influences on their health and well‐being and their attitudes towards nature, these personalized ecologies remain surprisingly little studied and are poorly understood. However, much can be inferred about personalized ecologies by considering them from first principles (largely macroecological), alongside insights from research into the design and effectiveness of biodiversity monitoring programmes, knowledge of how animals respond to people, and studies of human biology and demography. Here I first review how three major sets of drivers, opportunity, capability and motivation, shape people's personalized ecologies. Second, I then explore the implications of these mechanisms for how more passively and more actively practical improvements can be made in people's personalized ecologies. Particularly in light of the declines in the richness of these ecologies that are being experienced in much of the world (the so‐called ‘extinction of experience’), and the significant consequences, marked improvement in many people's interactions and experiences with nature may be key to the future of biodiversity.

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“…Aromatherapy has been described as ‘olfactory Muzak’. It might also be considered as delivering an olfactory version of the ‘nature effect’ (see Spence, 2021b ; see also Bentley et al, 2022 ).…”

Section: ‘Sticktion’: Creating Memorable Guest Experiencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sensehacking the guest’s multisensory hotel experience

Spence

2022

Front. Psychol.

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This narrative review discusses the literature on contemporary sensory marketing as it applies to hotel design. The role of each of the guest’s senses in the different stages of the customer journey are highlighted, and the functional benefits (to the guest’s multisensory experience), and likely commercial gains, of engaging more effectively with the guest’s non-visual senses, both individually, and in combination, are reviewed. While the visual elements of hotel design are undoubtedly important, the hotelier neglects the non-visual senses at their peril, given the negative effect of poor design on the customers’ overall multisensory experience (and ratings). A number of the crossmodal effects and multisensory interactions that have been suggested to modulate the guest’s experience of hotels (and resorts) are discussed. Mention is also made of the nature effect/biophilic design and how it is increasingly being incorporated in total design to help deliver on guest/customer well-being; the latter is a theme that has grown rapidly in relevance for those working in the hospitality sector. Taken together, there are numerous opportunities for hotel managers to ‘sensehack’ their guests’ multisensory experiences through environmental psychology The originality of this review stems from the analysis of the hierarchy of the guest’s senses and an explanation of how multisensory interactions affect sensory marketing in the design of hotel experiences for guests.

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Nature, smells, and human wellbeing

Cited by 33 publications

References 96 publications

Nature-Related Odors Influence Stress and Eating Behavior: A Laboratory Experiment With Pine and Grass Volatiles

Nature-Related Odors Influence Stress and Eating Behavior: A Laboratory Experiment With Pine and Grass Volatiles

Characterizing personalized ecologies

Sensehacking the guest’s multisensory hotel experience

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