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Sorokowski P, Misiak M, Roberts SC, Kowal M, Butovskaya M, Omar-Fauzee MS, Huanca T, Sorokowska A. Is the perception of odour pleasantness shared across cultures and ecological conditions? Evidence from Amazonia, East Africa, New Guinea, Malaysia and Poland. Biol Lett 2024; 20:20240120. [PMID: 38863390 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2024.0120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024] Open
Abstract
What makes an odour pleasant or unpleasant? The inherent properties of the constituent chemical compounds, or the nose of the beholder, driven by idiosyncratic differences and culture-specific learning? Here, 582 individuals, including Tanzanian Hadza hunter-gatherers, Amazonian Tsimane' horticulturalists, Yali from the Papuan highlands and two industrialized populations (Poles, Malaysians), rated the pleasantness of 15 odour samples. We find considerable similarities in odour assessments across cultures, but our data do not fully support a claim regarding the universality of smell preferences. Despite cross-cultural similarities in olfactory assessments, probably driven by odour properties, we suggest that odour availability in ecological and cultural niches bears an undeniable effect on human odour preferences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piotr Sorokowski
- Institute of Psychology, University of Wroclaw , Wroclaw, Poland
- Division of Psychology, University of Stirling , Stirling, UK
| | - Michał Misiak
- IDN Being Human Lab - Institute of Psychology, University of Wroclaw , Wroclaw, Poland
- School of Anthropology & Museum Ethnography, University of Oxford , Oxford, UK
| | - S Craig Roberts
- Division of Psychology, University of Stirling , Stirling, UK
- IDN Being Human Lab - Institute of Psychology, University of Wroclaw , Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Marta Kowal
- IDN Being Human Lab - Institute of Psychology, University of Wroclaw , Wroclaw, Poland
| | | | | | - Tomás Huanca
- Centro Boliviano de Desarrollo Socio Integral (CBIDSI) , San Borja, Bolivia
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2
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Bratman GN, Bembibre C, Daily GC, Doty RL, Hummel T, Jacobs LF, Kahn PH, Lashus C, Majid A, Miller JD, Oleszkiewicz A, Olvera-Alvarez H, Parma V, Riederer AM, Sieber NL, Williams J, Xiao J, Yu CP, Spengler JD. Nature and human well-being: The olfactory pathway. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadn3028. [PMID: 38748806 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adn3028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024]
Abstract
The world is undergoing massive atmospheric and ecological change, driving unprecedented challenges to human well-being. Olfaction is a key sensory system through which these impacts occur. The sense of smell influences quality of and satisfaction with life, emotion, emotion regulation, cognitive function, social interactions, dietary choices, stress, and depressive symptoms. Exposures via the olfactory pathway can also lead to (anti-)inflammatory outcomes. Increased understanding is needed regarding the ways in which odorants generated by nature (i.e., natural olfactory environments) affect human well-being. With perspectives from a range of health, social, and natural sciences, we provide an overview of this unique sensory system, four consensus statements regarding olfaction and the environment, and a conceptual framework that integrates the olfactory pathway into an understanding of the effects of natural environments on human well-being. We then discuss how this framework can contribute to better accounting of the impacts of policy and land-use decision-making on natural olfactory environments and, in turn, on planetary health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory N Bratman
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Cecilia Bembibre
- Institute for Sustainable Heritage, University College London, London, UK
| | - Gretchen C Daily
- Natural Capital Project, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Woods Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Richard L Doty
- Smell and Taste Center, Department of Otorhinolaryngology: Head and Neck Surgery, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Thomas Hummel
- Interdisciplinary Center Smell and Taste, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Lucia F Jacobs
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Peter H Kahn
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Connor Lashus
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Asifa Majid
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Anna Oleszkiewicz
- Interdisciplinary Center Smell and Taste, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
- Institute of Psychology, University of Wroclaw, Wrocław, Poland
| | | | | | - Anne M Riederer
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Nancy Long Sieber
- T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jonathan Williams
- Air Chemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, 55128 Mainz, Germany
- Climate and Atmosphere Research Center, The Cyprus Institute, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Jieling Xiao
- College of Architecture, Birmingham City University, Birmingham, UK
| | - Chia-Pin Yu
- School of Forestry and Resource Conservation, National Taiwan University, Taiwan
- The Experimental Forest, College of Bio-Resources and Agriculture, National Taiwan University, Taiwan
| | - John D Spengler
- T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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3
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Banerjee N, Rojas Palato EJ, Shih PY, Sternberg PW, Hallem EA. Distinct neurogenetic mechanisms establish the same chemosensory valence state at different life stages in Caenorhabditis elegans. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2024; 14:jkad271. [PMID: 38092065 PMCID: PMC10849362 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkad271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
An animal's preference for many chemosensory cues remains constant despite dramatic changes in the animal's internal state. The mechanisms that maintain chemosensory preference across different physiological contexts remain poorly understood. We previously showed that distinct patterns of neural activity and motor output are evoked by carbon dioxide (CO2) in starved adults vs dauers of Caenorhabditis elegans, despite the two life stages displaying the same preference (attraction) for CO2. However, how the distinct CO2-evoked neural dynamics and motor patterns contribute to CO2 attraction at the two life stages remained unclear. Here, using a CO2 chemotaxis assay, we show that different interneurons are employed to drive CO2 attraction at the two life stages. We also investigate the molecular mechanisms that mediate CO2 attraction in dauers vs adults. We show that insulin signaling promotes CO2 attraction in dauers but not starved adults and that different combinations of neurotransmitters and neuropeptides are used for CO2 attraction at the two life stages. Our findings provide new insight into the distinct molecular and cellular mechanisms used by C. elegans at two different life stages to generate attractive behavioral responses to CO2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Navonil Banerjee
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Elisa J Rojas Palato
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Pei-Yin Shih
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, NewYork, NY 10027, USA
- Zuckerman Mind, Brain, Behavior Institute, Columbia University, NewYork, NY 10027, USA
| | - Paul W Sternberg
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Elissa A Hallem
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
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4
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Lindroos R, Raj R, Pierzchajlo S, Hörberg T, Herman P, Challma S, Hummel T, Larsson M, Laukka EJ, Olofsson JK. Perceptual odor qualities predict successful odor identification in old age. Chem Senses 2022; 47:6806083. [PMID: 36334272 PMCID: PMC9636890 DOI: 10.1093/chemse/bjac025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Odor identification is a common assessment of olfaction, and it is affected in a large number of diseases. Identification abilities decline with age, but little is known about whether there are perceptual odor features that can be used to predict identification. Here, we analyzed data from a large, population-based sample of 2,479 adults, aged 60 years or above, from the Swedish National study on Aging and Care in Kungsholmen. Participants performed both free and cued odor identification tests. In a separate experiment, we assessed perceived pleasantness, familiarity, intensity, and edibility of all odors in the first sample, and examined how odor identification performance is associated with these variables. The analysis showed that high-intensity odors are easier to identify than low-intensity odors overall, but also that they are more susceptible to the negative repercussions of old age. This result indicates that sensory decline is a major aspect of age-dependent odor identification impairment, and suggests a framework where identification likelihood is proportional to the perceived intensity of the odor. Additional analyses further showed that high-performing individuals can discriminate target odors from distractors along the pleasantness and edibility dimensions and that unpleasant and inedible odors show smaller age-related differences in identification. Altogether, these results may guide further development and optimization of brief and efficient odor identification tests as well as influence the design of odorous products targeted toward older consumers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Lindroos
- Corresponding author: Gösta Ekman Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Albanovägen 12, 114 19 Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Rohan Raj
- Gösta Ekman Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Stephen Pierzchajlo
- Gösta Ekman Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Thomas Hörberg
- Gösta Ekman Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Pawel Herman
- Division of Computational Science and Technology, KTH, Royal Institute of Technology and Digital Futures, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Sandra Challma
- Gösta Ekman Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Thomas Hummel
- Smell and Taste Clinic, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Maria Larsson
- Gösta Ekman Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Erika J Laukka
- Aging Research Center, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karoliska institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jonas K Olofsson
- Gösta Ekman Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
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5
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A study on the relationship between odor hedonic ratings and individual odor detection threshold. Sci Rep 2022; 12:18482. [PMID: 36323760 PMCID: PMC9628383 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-23068-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Odor hedonic perception (pleasant/unpleasant character) is considered as the first and one of the most prominent dimensions in olfaction and is known to depend on several parameters. Among them, the relation between the odorant concentration and the hedonic estimation has been widely studied. However, few studies have considered odor hedonic ratings (OHR) in relation to individual detection thresholds (IDT). Thus, the aim of this study was to determine olfactory detection thresholds and to describe hedonic rating variations from individual thresholds to higher concentrations. IDT were performed for two pleasant (apple and jasmine) and two unpleasant (durian and trimethylamine) odorant stimuli. The experimenter presented one by one in a randomized order, the different odorant concentrations above IDT. Participants rated odor hedonic valence of these stimuli on a visual analog scale. Results showed, except for trimethylamine, the same relationship between hedonic ratings and stimulus concentration, i.e., an increase of pleasantness (apple and jasmine)/unpleasantness (durian) ratings at low and middle concentrations followed by a plateau at high concentrations. Correlations between OHR and concentrations as well as between OHR and threshold steps were always significant. Moreover, comparisons between both conditions showed that the correlation coefficient was significantly higher for trimethylamine (and a trend for apple) when IDTs were considered, while no difference was found for jasmine and durian. Overall, results suggested that the relationship between OHR and IDT is odor specific. These findings contribute to explain the large variability of the hedonic tone (i.e., weakly vs. very pleasant, weakly vs. very unpleasant) at specific concentration in the general population and could serve future research in this field (e.g., olfactory preferences in nutrition studies, anhedonia in psychiatric disorders…).
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