Effects of olfactory stimulus on group performance and individual stress responses in university students

Group work is essential in professional settings to encourage effective communication and optimize outcomes. Stress can reduce teamwork effectiveness and aromatherapy might be able to reduce feelings of stress/anxiety in individuals. However, it is unclear if aromatherapy impacts stress levels or performance during group activities. Therefore, we examined if essential oil exposure impacted stress responses and performance of individuals and groups during a team-based task involving a challenging medical decision. Subjects (n = 36) were part of a 3-person group (12 groups total) that completed a timed moral reasoning dilemma wearing a mask that contained a purported stimulatory essential oil (peppermint), a purported relaxing essential oil (lavender) or masks that contained neither odor (3 groups/mask type). Heart rate (HR) responses were recorded continuously before, during and after the task. The time to complete the task, decision making during the task, and subject's perceptions of the task were also recorded. Control subjects and subjects exposed to peppermint demonstrated a significant stress-induced increase in HR during the group task. However, subjects exposed to lavender demonstrated a significantly attenuated HR. Subjects in the control group who perceived high stress levels during the task demonstrated further elevations in HR than those not reporting stress, however, this pattern was not observed in subjects exposed to either essential oil. Groups did not differ in the time required to complete the task although only the groups exposed to lavender used decision making consistent with medical practice. Therefore, exposure to lavender was associated with differential physiological responses during a stressful group task, potentially due to olfactory system stimulation of anxiolytic and/or trust promoting central nervous system pathways. Aromatherapy might be a useful tool in group settings to mitigate the impact of stress and improve group performance.