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Nature and human well-being: The olfactory pathway
Gregory N Bratman1,2,3, Cecilia Bembibre4, Gretchen C Daily5,6,7
1School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
Science Advances
|May 15, 2024
Summary
Natural scents impact human well-being, influencing emotions, cognition, and health. Understanding these olfactory environments is crucial for environmental policy and planetary health.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Sensory Science
- Ecology
Background:
- Atmospheric and ecological changes pose significant threats to human well-being.
- Olfaction is a critical sensory pathway mediating human responses to environmental changes.
- The sense of smell profoundly affects quality of life, emotions, cognition, and physiological health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the impact of natural odorants on human well-being.
- To integrate olfactory pathways into environmental health frameworks.
- To inform policy and land-use decisions concerning natural olfactory environments.
Main Methods:
- Interdisciplinary review integrating health, social, and natural sciences.
- Development of a conceptual framework for olfactory impacts on well-being.
- Formulation of consensus statements on olfaction and the environment.
Main Results:
- Olfactory environments significantly influence human well-being across multiple domains.
- A framework was proposed to link natural olfactory stimuli to human health outcomes.
- Four consensus statements provide guidance on olfaction and environmental interactions.
Conclusions:
- Natural olfactory environments are integral to human well-being and planetary health.
- The proposed framework aids in assessing policy impacts on olfactory resources.
- Further research is needed to fully elucidate the human-olfaction-environment connection.
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