By Deborah Dobbs, M.A.

The smell of my mother’s spaghetti sauce still gives me a rush of joy. Aromas, particularly natural ones such as herbs and flowers, have a powerful way of tugging at our emotions. In our fast-paced world, tapping into these natural scents can be a simple path to better well-being.

The Science Behind the Scent

Our sense of smell is wired straight to the brain’s emotional center, the limbic system, making it a sneaky influencer of mood. Studies, including work by Weber and Heuberger (2008), have explored this connection. Participants who inhaled various natural plant aromas—like blooming flowers and herbs—reported feeling noticeably happier, calmer, and more alert compared to a control group.

Importantly, those same studies showed that artificial smells offered no mood improvement. This evolutionary link suggests that real plant smells genuinely tune up our emotional health. Perhaps this is primitive, harking back to our hunter-gatherer days when a pleasant scent signaled safety or nourishment, firing up reward pathways in the brain that modern-day synthetics can’t mimic.

Taming Pain with Pleasant Aromas

Over the past few decades, studies have also zeroed in on our sense of smell’s role in taming pain. While findings are varied, evidence suggests that pleasant aromas seem to decrease pain intensity.

A 2007 study found that people could hold their hand in ice water two times longer when inhaling a sweet-smelling odor (like vanilla), compared to those who inhaled neutral or unpleasant odors. Brain scans also reveal how smell can quiet “pain hotspots” such as the anterior cingulate cortex, thereby making pain more manageable. This highlights the potential of pleasant scents as a complementary tool for pain relief.

Bring the Magic Home: Simple Tips

Ready to harness the science of scent for a quick emotional tune-up? Here are few simple tips for bringing the “good” scents into our homes:

• Slow Cookers: Slow cookers are an easy way to set yourself up for a warm welcome home after a long day. The lingering aroma of a meal creates an instant atmosphere of comfort and calm.

• Natural Cleaning Products (DIY): Just five minutes of exposure to an unpleasant odor (like a harsh chemical cleaner) can spark anxiety and dampen a good mood. Replace chemical cleaners with DIY products (using citrus rinds, vinegar, or essential oils) that leave your home smelling naturally fresh and induce calm.

• Herbs: Many aromatic herbs are easy to grow (indoors or out). Plucking off a leaf and rubbing it between your palms can uplift your mood or enhance calm. If growing herbs brings stress, dried herb sachets (fabric pouches stuffed with dried herbs) provide whispers of positive scents without the maintenance.

Natural scents can give your emotions a quick, science-backed tune-up. While they can’t guarantee that unwanted guests (like anxiety and stress) won’t enter your home, they can keep them from lingering too long.

References

• Weber, S. T., & Heuberger, E. (2008). The Impact of Natural Odors on Affective States in Humans. Chemical Senses, 33(5), 441–447.
• Kontaris I, East BS and Wilson DA (2020). Behavioral and Neurobiological Convergence of Odor, Mood and Emotion: A Review. Frontiers Behavioral Neuroscience. 14:35.
• Prescott, J., & Wilkie, J. (2007). Pain Tolerance Selectively Increased by a Sweet-smelling Odor. Psychological Science, 18(4), 308–311.
• Sandri, A., Cecchini, M. P., Riello, M., Zanini, A., Nocini, R., Fiorio, M., & Tinazzi, M. (2021). Pain, Smell, and Taste in Adults: A Narrative Review of Multisensory Perception and Interaction. Pain and Therapy, 10(1), 245–268.