Drinking a glass of lukewarm lemon water early morning is considered to aid weight loss. If you started your day with this ritual, you might be surprised to know that before taking a sip of the water, the fragrance of lemon already starts working to make you feel lighter and thinner. A new study reveals that this phenomenon is not just psychological but also scientific. The research, which was led by author Giada Brianza from the University of Sussex, UK, claims that the smell or fragrance can influence the images we have in our mind related to our body.
For the research, fragrances of lemon as well as vanilla were used in two different sets of experiments. The researchers found that the one set of people who had experienced the smell of lemon felt light while the other that drew in vanilla felt heavier. “Many studies pinpoint that our brain works like a computer. There are different ways to put inputs in the brain. Taste and smell are part of sensory input. This study reveals that different fragrances trigger different circuits in the brain and make you feel accordingly. Fragrance of lemon activates a circuit in the brain and body starts feeling lighter while the smell of vanilla gives a feeling of heaviness. The study also indicates that whatever we feel after having any type of meal is not psychological but is scientific. It is a result of what brain reacts to our food habits,” explains Dr Anjali Chhabria of Mind Temple, Mumbai.
Fragrances influencing psychological and physiological activities of humans is nothing new. Smells have always played an important role in improving working capacity, controlling mood swings, making us happy and feel fresh etc. Dr Chhabria explains, “When we eat something good in taste, it is a common gesture to say we had same type of food earlier as well. That means the memory of the taste was stored in one of the circuits of the brain which triggers the feeling. So a drink or meal having fragrance of lemon can improve the mental image of the body and can boost self-esteem.”
Dr M Wali, senior internal medicine specialist at Sir Gangaram Hospital, Delhi, agrees and says science has discovered multiple advantages of lemon. “Many electrophysiological studies have indicated that different fragrances continuously affected cognitive functions of the body. It has been observed that the aroma of lemon, lemon grass and lemon tree stimulates secretion of endorphin hormones in the brain, which gives feeling of lightness and happiness.”
Dr Poojashivam Jaitly, practising clinical psychologist at Ariston Hospital, Delhi, opines that the mental state is often influenced by olfactory experiences. “Our olfactory bulb, which begins inside the nose and runs along the bottom of the brain, is the first step that takes in new smells. Scientists believe that our sense of smell triggers memory more than other senses because those senses do not pass through certain areas of the brain. Memories that are triggered by our olfactory senses can be accompanied by clear images and feelings of happiness, excitement, agony, and despair. Odours are learned as a function of the emotional context in which they are first perceived directly.”
The human sense of smell is so strong that it is often used to treat other ailments in the body. “For mental, physical and spiritual purposes, our ancestors have been using aroma therapy to heal related ailments and disorders. So for us smell and its related impact on our body and emotions are not new. These researches can only strengthen these old therapies,” highlights Dr Jaitly.