Generalized and social anxiety symptoms are differentially associated with common and social odor sensitivity

Highly anxious individuals have a lower detection threshold to potentially harmful stimuli in their environment. Recent self-report studies suggest that sensitivity to olfactory stimuli may be dependent upon the type of anxiety and odors investigated. Improving on previous studies, the current study employed a psychophysical measure of olfactory ability to explore the relationship between olfactory sensitivity and anxiety. We hypothesized that anxiety symptoms will be linked to increased olfactory sensitivity, but also that this relationship will be different for anxiety subtypes and odor category. One hundred twenty-seven young healthy individuals (age 18-39, M=20.8, SD=3.5) completed questionnaires measuring symptoms of generalized anxiety (GAD-7), social anxiety (Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale), and depression (PHQ-9). To assess olfactory sensitivity, they performed eight odor concentrations sorting tasks with four common (e.g., food, floral) and four socially relevant odors (e.g., human body odor compound, perfume). Generalized anxiety symptoms were weakly positively correlated with sensitivity to common odors, but not to social odors. However, this association was rendered non-significant when depressive symptoms were controlled for. In contrast, social anxiety symptoms were positively correlated with sensitivity to social odors, but not to common odors. The latter relationship was partially mediated by perceived threat of social odors and was robust to models controlling for depressive symptoms. In conclusion, in a non-clinical sample of healthy individuals, anxiety symptoms are related to enhanced olfactory sensitivity in a domain-specific manner, with the evidence stronger for social anxiety.