Pleasant odors and congruency: effects on approach behavior

Ninety subjects between the ages of 18 and 35 viewed 24 slides when the testing room was scented with no odor or one of two pleasant scents (baby powder or chocolate). Six slides were of babies, six were of chocolate items and 12 were control slides of pine trees or the Orient. In pilot testing the chocolate slides were rated as being congruent with the chocolate scent and incongruent with the baby powder scent; the baby slides were rated as being congruent with the baby powder scent and incongruent with the chocolate scent. Subjects viewed the slides at their own pace while a computer recorded how long each slide was viewed. During a second viewing, subjects rated the slides and answered questions about their own mood and health. Congruency did not play a role in the findings. Pleasant odors had certain effects compared to no odor (i.e. longer looking time, better mood and lower hunger ratings), while other effects were related to specific odors (i.e. arousal was highest in the chocolate condition and there were fewer health symptoms reported in the baby powder condition). These findings suggest that pleasant odors may have some general effects due to their hedonic value, while associations individuals have with particular pleasant odors may influence other variables.