NCT00097253

The Effects of Smell on Mood and Physical Responses

Psychoneuroimmunology and Mind-Body Medicine: Olfaction, Mood, and Physiological Responses

• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 1
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 56 (actual)
• Sponsor: National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) · NIH
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 44 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The purpose of this study is to examine the body's response to relaxing and stimulating fragrances commonly used in aromatherapy.

Detailed description

Despite aromatherapy's popularity, efficacy data are scant, and potential mechanisms are controversial. This randomized controlled trial examined the psychological, autonomic, endocrine, and immune consequences of one purported relaxant odor (lavender), one stimulant odor (lemon), and a no-odor control (water), before and after a stressor (cold pressor); 56 healthy men and women were exposed to each of the odors during three separate visits. To assess the effects of expectancies, participants randomized to the "blind" condition were given no information about the odors they would smell; "primed" individuals were told what odors they would smell during the session, and what changes to expect. Experimenters were blind. In each case we measured several different aspects of the cellular immune response, as well as skin barrier repair following tape stripping. This design allowed us to examine the ability of the odors to modulate endocrine and immune function, and health-relevant cutaneous responses.

Conditions

• Stress
• Anxiety
• Depression

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Exposure to relaxant and stimulant odors	A yellow-tinted cotton ball containing 100 ml of the essential oil or distilled water was taped between the nose and upper lip on top of a piece of surgical tape; use of the barrier tape avoided percutaneous absorption . This method provided continuous and uniform exposure across subjects that would not have been possible with ambient room inhalation, and helped maintain experimenter blindness.

Timeline

• Start date: 2005-08-01
• Primary completion: 2006-03-01
• Completion: 2006-03-01
• First posted: 2004-11-22
• Last updated: 2010-02-18
• Results posted: 2010-02-04

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States