Abstract

EFFECTS OF AROMAS FROM DRINKS ON MOOD AND PERFORMANCE

Andrew P. Smith, PhD*

ABSTRACT

Background: Research on aromas and mood and cognition shows that effects may depend on the method of presenting the aroma, duration of exposure, aroma type, and the outcome measures examined. The present study examined the effects of aromas from drinks on mood, a focused attention choice reaction time task and a categoric search choice reaction time task. Method: A between-subject design was used, with each group being exposed to a different aroma (lemon, beer, whisky, gin and water-control). One hundred and ten university students completed the study. Participants carried out a baseline session with no aroma, followed by a test session with the aroma being sniffed over the course of the session. Liking of aromas was recorded at a familiarisation session. Results: The lemon aroma was rated as the most pleasant, followed by the gin, beer, and whisky. Prior tocompleting the performance tasks, those exposed to the whisky felt more sociable and happier than the control group. After completing the tasks, the group exposed to the lemon aroma felt more alert than those in the control group and those exposed to the beer. Those exposed to the lemon also felt more sociable and happier than the control group. Ratings of alertness were also significantly correlated with the liking of the aroma. However, the effects of the lemon aroma were still significant when the effect of liking was controlled. The only performance measures to show significant effects of the aromas were those relating to lapses of attention (occasional very long response times). Gin and whisky aromas reduced the number of lapses relative to the control condition in the focused attention task. Gin also reduced the lapses of attention relative to the lemon aroma and control condition in the categoric search task. Again, these effects of the aromas did not reflect the liking of them. Conclusion: The present study has shown that sniffing aromas from drinks can lead to changes in mood and sustained attention. Further research is now required to identify the mechanisms underlying these effects and evaluate the practical significance of these changes.

Keywords: Aroma; Mood; Attention; Choice Reaction Time; Lemon; Beer; Gin; Whisky; Aroma acceptability.