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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 29, 2026

The Emotional Stroop Task: Assessing Cognitive Performance under Exposure to Emotional Content
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Smell Is Emotion.

Rachel S Herz1

  • 1Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA.

Brain Sciences
|January 28, 2026
PubMed
Summary

Smell and emotion are fundamentally equivalent, with the essence of olfactory experience being emotion. This perspective broadens understanding in affective science and inspires research into olfaction and emotion.

Area of Science:

  • Affective science
  • Neurobiology
  • Olfactory research

Background:

  • Affect is commonly studied through various sensory modalities.
  • Olfaction's role in emotion is often underestimated.
  • Existing definitions of emotion, mood, and feelings lack integration with olfactory science.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose that smell and emotion are fundamentally equivalent.
  • To integrate theory, neurobiology, and empirical evidence from olfaction and affective science.
  • To broaden definitions and understanding within affective science.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of "emotion", "hedonic valence", "mood", and "feelings".
  • Analysis of theoretical frameworks in affective science.
  • Examination of neurobiological and empirical evidence related to olfaction and emotion.
Keywords:
affective scienceemotionfeelingshedonic valencemoododorolfactionsmell

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Related Experiment Videos

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Main Results:

  • Olfactory experience is proposed to be essentially emotional.
  • Smell and emotion are suggested to be fundamentally equivalent.
  • A unified perspective on olfaction and emotion is presented.

Conclusions:

  • Olfaction is a primary sensory modality for emotion.
  • Further research in olfaction, emotion, and clinical practices is encouraged.
  • This perspective aims to advance affective science and olfactory research.