Smell to Boost Learning Power

Only true die-hards have read the novel A la recherche du temps perdu by the French writer Marcel Proust, but one particular scene is well-known: the main character dips a cake called a madeleine into a cup of chamomile tea, which evokes a torrent of memories from a forgotten childhood.

Marcel Proust intuitively understood what science would later discover: no sense reaches more deeply and suddenly into our emotional center—right into our solar plexus—than the sense of smell.

If smells can transport us back to various memories, can they also help us remember facts?

Research has already shown that smell can influence our behaviour. For example, the scent of citrus has been found to make people more inclined to clean. Auping, a large bedding retailer, even disperses the smell of freshly washed linen throughout their shops to boost sales. In addition, the Dutch Tax Authorities circulate the scent of orange in their offices every afternoon to help employees overcome their midday slump.

Subliminal persuasion, which refers to influencing people at a level below their conscious awareness, is the term for this phenomenon.

The concept of subliminal persuasion dates back to 1957 when market researcher James Vicary inserted the phrases "Eat Popcorn" and "Drink Coca-Cola" into a movie. The words appeared for just one frame, allegedly long enough for the subconscious to register them, but too short for viewers to notice consciously. These subliminal ads reportedly resulted in an 18.1% increase in Coke sales and a 57.8% increase in popcorn sales.

What does all this imply for enhancing learning?

While less research has focused on whether scents can improve performance, intriguing findings have emerged. For instance, psychologist Mark Moss conducted cognitive tests on subjects exposed to rosemary aroma during lectures. Those in the rosemary group memorized the content significantly better than the control group.

Although lavender is known for its sedative qualities, scientist Sakamoto found that it can help maintain performance during breaks after intense lectures, preventing a decline in subsequent work sessions.

Additional research suggests that scents can impact learning, performance, and creativity, so perhaps the use of fragrance in the classroom should no longer be dismissed as pseudoscience. While much of aromatherapy marketing contains questionable claims, it’s worth considering fragrance as a tool to create a psychological state conducive to effective learning.

As more scientific evidence emerges, why not try it? At the very least, it could create a more pleasant learning environment for workshop participants.

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