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The Healing Home - Jun/Jul 2025

How fragrance affects mood & productivity

How fragrance affects mood & productivity

Olfaction, or the sense of smell, is a crucial part of being human that allows us to detect and perceive airborne molecules, playing a vital role in our survival, pleasure, and memory.



Aromatherapy focuses on using the sense of smell so that inhaling essential oils may promote well-being, regulate emotions and have other therapeutic effects.

The function of our sense of smell is to:

  • Ensure safety and survival
  • Modulate eating behaviour
  • Evoke emotions and memories
  • Facilitate social interaction and communication
  • Aid in spatial navigation and orientation


Of all five primary senses, smell is the most neglected, overlooked and least understood. In 2004, Dr Linda Buck and Dr Richard Axel received the Nobel Prize in physiology of medicine for their research on the sense of smell. Their research focused on: How is it possible that we can smell so many different types of odours, and how does the brain translate information into perceptions?
http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/2004/press.html

Our sense of smell is directly connected to the amygdala in the brain. The amygdala is a small, almond-shaped structure in the brain's temporal lobe, part of the limbic system, that plays a crucial role in processing emotions, especially fear and anxiety, and in forming emotional memories.

Although smell is the oldest, most powerful sense and connected to the emotional part of the brain, it is also directly connected with our breath. Did you know that women have a stronger sense of smell than men and that during pregnancy there is a huge burst of new olfactory neurons which heightens the sense of smell? You can even form memories from 10 000 different odours!

If you have not yet considered aromatherapy, the fact that odour conditioning can reduce stress and calm your mind, may just be the perfect reason to consider this wonderful form of therapy.

The chemical composition of scents can significantly influence mood, productivity, and creativity. Utilizing these scents strategically can enhance overall well-being.

Common oils for focus and productivity include Rosemary, Peppermint, Lemon, Lavender and Frankincense.
Best uplifting oils are Orange, Basil, Lavender, Bergamot, Peppermint, Lemon and Rose.
To overcome creativity blocks, sniff Tangerine, Cinnamon Bark, Clove, Ginger, Ylang-ylang, Basil, Frankincense and Peppermint.


Essential oils can be inhaled using cotton wick inhalers, diffusers, a few drops of oil on a cloth, diffuser jewellery, or directly from the palm.



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