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Loos HM, Schaal B, Pause BM, Smeets MAM, Ferdenzi C, Roberts SC, de Groot J, Lübke KT, Croy I, Freiherr J, Bensafi M, Hummel T, Havlíček J. Past, Present, and Future of Human Chemical Communication Research. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2023:17456916231188147. [PMID: 37669015 DOI: 10.1177/17456916231188147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/06/2023]
Abstract
Although chemical signaling is an essential mode of communication in most vertebrates, it has long been viewed as having negligible effects in humans. However, a growing body of evidence shows that the sense of smell affects human behavior in social contexts ranging from affiliation and parenting to disease avoidance and social threat. This article aims to (a) introduce research on human chemical communication in the historical context of the behavioral sciences; (b) provide a balanced overview of recent advances that describe individual differences in the emission of semiochemicals and the neural mechanisms underpinning their perception, that together demonstrate communicative function; and (c) propose directions for future research toward unraveling the molecular principles involved and understanding the variability in the generation, transmission, and reception of chemical signals in increasingly ecologically valid conditions. Achieving these goals will enable us to address some important societal challenges but are within reach only with the aid of genuinely interdisciplinary approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helene M Loos
- Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
- Department of Sensory Analytics and Technologies, Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV
| | - Benoist Schaal
- Development of Olfactory Cognition and Communication Lab, Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, CNRS UMR 6265, Université de Bourgogne
| | - Bettina M Pause
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf
| | | | - Camille Ferdenzi
- Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon, CNRS UMR 5292, Inserm U1028, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Centre Hospitalier Le Vinatier
| | | | | | - Katrin T Lübke
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf
| | - Ilona Croy
- Institute for Psychology, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena
| | - Jessica Freiherr
- Department of Sensory Analytics and Technologies, Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
| | - Moustafa Bensafi
- Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon, CNRS UMR 5292, Inserm U1028, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Centre Hospitalier Le Vinatier
| | - Thomas Hummel
- Smell and Taste Clinic, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, TU Dresden
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Croijmans I, van Erp L, Bakker A, Cramer L, Heezen S, Van Mourik D, Weaver S, Hortensius R. No Evidence for an Effect of the Smell of Hexanal on Trust in Human-Robot Interaction. Int J Soc Robot 2022; 15:1-10. [PMID: 36128582 PMCID: PMC9477175 DOI: 10.1007/s12369-022-00918-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The level of interpersonal trust among people is partially determined through the sense of smell. Hexanal, a molecule which smell resembles freshly cut grass, can increase trust in people. Here, we ask the question if smell can be leveraged to facilitate human-robot interaction and test whether hexanal also increases the level of trust during collaboration with a social robot. In a preregistered double-blind, placebo-controlled study, we tested if trial-by-trial and general trust during perceptual decision making in collaboration with a social robot is affected by hexanal across two samples (n = 46 and n = 44). It was hypothesized that unmasked hexanal and hexanal masked by eugenol, a molecule with a smell resembling clove, would increase the level of trust in human-robot interaction, compared to eugenol alone or a control condition consisting of only the neutral smelling solvent propylene glycol. Contrasting previous findings in human interaction, no significant effect of unmasked or eugenol-masked hexanal on trust in robots was observed. These findings indicate that the conscious or nonconscious impact of smell on trust might not generalise to interactions with social robots. One explanation could be category- and context-dependency of smell leading to a mismatch between the natural smell of hexanal, a smell also occurring in human sweat, and the mechanical physical or mental representation of the robot.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilja Croijmans
- Centre for
Language Studies, Radboud
University, Erasmusplein 1, 6525 HT Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Laura van Erp
- Centre for
Language Studies, Radboud
University, Erasmusplein 1, 6525 HT Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Annelie Bakker
- Centre for
Language Studies, Radboud
University, Erasmusplein 1, 6525 HT Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Lara Cramer
- Centre for
Language Studies, Radboud
University, Erasmusplein 1, 6525 HT Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Sophie Heezen
- Centre for
Language Studies, Radboud
University, Erasmusplein 1, 6525 HT Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Dana Van Mourik
- Centre for
Language Studies, Radboud
University, Erasmusplein 1, 6525 HT Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Sterre Weaver
- Centre for
Language Studies, Radboud
University, Erasmusplein 1, 6525 HT Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Ruud Hortensius
- Centre for
Language Studies, Radboud
University, Erasmusplein 1, 6525 HT Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Nakanishi M, Fornazieri MA, Lança Gomes P, Dias LADM, Freire GSM, Vinha LGDA, Barbosa de Sa LC, Voegels RL, Galvão C, Lima WTA. The digital scent device as a new concept for olfactory assessment. Int Forum Allergy Rhinol 2022; 12:1263-1272. [PMID: 35224885 DOI: 10.1002/alr.22992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2021] [Revised: 02/21/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND There are major challenges in olfactory measurements in clinical practice; therefore, a handheld digital scent device (DSD; Noar MultiScent 20) was developed as a tablet with an integrated storage system for odors. The DSD is a self-administered, handheld device that controls the duration of odor release to the nasal cavity through a touchscreen digital interface with automatic database generation. In this study we aimed to determine the feasibility of this DSD as an olfactory assessment test. METHODS We recruited 180 participants (age [mean ± standard deviation], 34.58 ± 9.71 years; 114 women and 66 men) to participate in smell tests using both the DSD and the 40-item Smell Identification Test (SIT-40), which contained the same type and order of odors and the same multiple-choice answers. The scores were compared and evaluated for correlation between the tests, and test-retest reliability was calculated. RESULTS The DSD test scores were higher than the SIT-40 scores (median [interquartile range], 32 [5.0] vs 31 [7.0]; p = 0.005). The completion time was less for the DSD test than for the SIT-40 (12.5 [5.0] vs 16 [6.0] minutes; p < 0.001). The tests were strongly correlated (Spearman rho = 0.74; p < 0.001) and exhibited a high level of agreement (Bland-Altman regression coefficient = 0.672; p = 0.003). The DSD test-retest reliability coefficient was 0.820. CONCLUSION The DSD is feasible as an olfactory assessment test. The digitalization of olfactory assessment combined with data science may enable new research perspectives in the field of olfaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcio Nakanishi
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital of Brasília UnB-EBSERH, Brasilia, Federal District, Brazil.,Department of Ophthalmology and Otorhinolaryngology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School-USP, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.,Division of Otorhinolaryngology, D'Or Institute of Education and Research, Hospital Santa Luzia, Brasilia, Brazil
| | - Marco Aurélio Fornazieri
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology State University of Londrina, Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná, Londrina, PR, Brazil
| | - Pedro Lança Gomes
- Division of Otorhinolaryngology, D'Or Institute of Education and Research, Hospital Santa Luzia, Brasilia, Brazil
| | | | | | | | | | - Richard Louis Voegels
- Department of Ophthalmology and Otorhinolaryngology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Wilma Terezinha Anselmo Lima
- Department of Ophthalmology and Otorhinolaryngology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School-USP, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
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Croijmans I, Beetsma D, Aarts H, Gortemaker I, Smeets M. The role of fragrance and self-esteem in perception of body odors and impressions of others. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0258773. [PMID: 34780484 PMCID: PMC8592444 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0258773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Human sweat odor serves as social communication signal for a person’s traits and emotional states. This study explored whether body odors can also communicate information about one’s self-esteem, and the role of applied fragrance in this relationship. Female participants were asked to rate self-esteem and attractiveness of different male contestants of a dating show, while being exposed to male participant’s body odors differing in self-esteem. High self-esteem sweat was rated more pleasant and less intense than low self-esteem sweat. However, there was no difference in perceived self-esteem and attractiveness of male contestants in videos, hence explicit differences in body odor did not transfer to judgments of related person characteristics. When the body odor was fragranced using a fragranced body spray, male contestants were rated as having higher self-esteem and being more attractive. The finding that body odors from male participants differing in self-esteem are rated differently and can be discriminated suggests self-esteem has distinct perceivable olfactory features, but the remaining findings imply that only fragrance affect the psychological impression someone makes. These findings are discussed in the context of the role of body odor and fragrance in human perception and social communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilja Croijmans
- Department of Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- * E-mail:
| | - Daniel Beetsma
- Department of Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Henk Aarts
- Department of Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Ilse Gortemaker
- UNILEVER R&D Beauty & Personal Care Science & Technology, Consumer Science, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- ABN AMRO Bank N.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Monique Smeets
- Department of Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- UNILEVER R&D Beauty & Personal Care Science & Technology, Consumer Science, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
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Paradisi P, Raglianti M, Sebastiani L. Online Communication and Body Language. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:709365. [PMID: 34557076 PMCID: PMC8452979 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.709365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Paolo Paradisi
- Istituto di Scienza e Tecnologie Dell'Informazione "A. Faedo" (ISTI-CNR), Pisa, Italy.,BCAM-Basque Center for Applied Mathematics, Bilbao, Spain
| | - Marina Raglianti
- Departamento de Educación de la Facultad de Educación y Humanidades, Universidad de Tarapacá, Arica, Chile
| | - Laura Sebastiani
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
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de Groot JHB. Smells in Sustainable Environments: The Scented Silk Road to Spending. Front Psychol 2021; 12:718279. [PMID: 34489823 PMCID: PMC8417554 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.718279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Humanity's demand for ecological resources and services exceeds what earth can regenerate in that year, creating an urgent need for more sustainable behavior. Here, the focus is on a particular factor that so far has been overlooked in facilitating sustainable behavior, namely smell. The two-fold aim of this study was (i) to investigate whether ambient scent could enhance customers' subjective experience and spending behavior in a sustainable environment, and (ii) to elucidate the affective and cognitive pathways from scent to spending. To test this, a double-blind field experiment was designed where customers of a second-hand clothing store (N = 57) could face one of three conditions: fresh linen scent (pleasant and semantically priming "clean clothing" increasing the products' value), vanilla sandalwood scent (pleasant control odor), or regular store odor (odorless control). Buttressed by prior research, the fresh linen scent was expected to cause the strongest increase in spending behavior due to its positive semantic association with the product (i.e., clean clothing). The results indeed showed that fresh linen scent almost doubled consumer spending vs. the odorless control and the pleasant control odor. Other factors potentially affecting consumer behavior (e.g., weekday, weather, odor awareness) were uncorrelated. Whereas a conceptually-driven mediation analysis showed that only fresh linen scent increased mood and evaluations of the store, staff, and products, these variables did not mediate the relation between scent and spending. An explorative structural equation model suggested cognitive priming to be mainly responsible for increasing consumers' spending in the fresh linen condition by enhancing the general store evaluation. Further support is needed to corroborate the indirect findings that specific scents can follow a "cold" semantic road and a "hot" affective road to spending. At minimum, consumers are no "zombies" that empty their pockets in the presence of whatever odor; the smell needs to have a meaningful link to the (sustainable) context at hand to influence consumer behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasper H. B. de Groot
- Department of Social and Cultural Psychology, Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands
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