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Subliminal perception refers to the processing of sensory information that occurs below the level of conscious awareness. Researchers study subliminal perception by presenting a stimulus, such as a word or image, very quickly, typically around 50 milliseconds. This rapid presentation is often followed by another stimulus, such as a pattern of dots or lines, which blocks further mental processing of the initial stimulus. As a result, if participants cannot identify the initial stimulus better...
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Constructing an Olfactometer for Rodent Olfactory Behavior Studies Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Hyperscanning Study in Psychological Counseling
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Smell the Label: Odors Influence Label Perception and Their Neural Processing.

Doris Schicker1, Putu A Khorisantono2, Qëndresa Rramani Dervishi3

  • 1Sensory Analytics and Technologies, Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV, Freising 85354, Germany doris.schicker@ivv.fraunhofer.de jessica.freiherr@ivv.fraunhofer.de.

The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience
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Pleasant odors can positively influence how people perceive food labels, even overriding negative health information. This study used fMRI to show how smell impacts brain activity related to flavor and decision-making.

Keywords:
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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Sensory Science
  • Consumer Behavior

Background:

  • Nutrition labels aim to promote healthier eating but can create negative flavor expectations.
  • Olfaction (sense of smell) may influence how consumers perceive food labels, potentially mitigating negative associations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the neural processing of the interaction between food odors and nutrition labels.
  • To determine if odors can alter behavioral and neural responses to nutrition labels.

Main Methods:

  • Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used on 63 participants.
  • Participants were presented with beverage labels (with or without nutrition statements) alongside congruent or no odors.
  • Behavioral responses and brain activity were recorded.

Main Results:

  • Products with labels and congruent odors were perceived more positively than those with labels alone.
  • Odors altered brain activity in regions associated with flavor perception, label processing, and decision-making (e.g., amygdala/piriform cortex, orbitofrontal cortex).
  • Specific brain regions showed pattern-based encoding related to odor-label interactions when accounting for behavior.

Conclusions:

  • Odors significantly influence both the neural and behavioral effects of nutrition labels.
  • Pleasant odors may compensate for negative expectations evoked by certain health claims.
  • Further research is needed to understand odor-statement interactions, particularly for labels with negative connotations.