Perfume for workaholic: smells affect performance, memory and concentration

The sense of smell is one of the most powerful senses in the animal world. Blind and hard of hearing newborn animals based on this information channel, so they find their mother and calm down in the presence of her smell, even if you don't touch it. Some animals smell each other at very large distances. Animals follow a specific smell in the dark, in unfamiliar spaces, and among many other odors. Smells like markers, flags, paint a space, giving it to the animal's distinctive characteristics, interest, desire, danger, food, relatives, enemies, anxiety, etc. For animals smell is the regulator of behavior. It is through the olfactory canal, the hunters deceive the consciousness of animals, creating a certain expectation or image through a specific smell — for example, the smell of the females of this animal, the smell of blood for predators, the smell of fruit or other favorite treats of the animal.

In the modern world people underestimate the possibility of smell, leaving the main channels of understanding the world and receive information on vision, hearing and touch. Now the world smells — it's more about "pleasant/unpleasant", "tasty/tasteless" and also about the danger/safety (we can easily recognize the smell of fire, smoke, gas, spoiled food). We are well distinguish some scents of flowers, fruits and herbs, we learn a certain amount of sophisticated perfume fragrance, remember the smells of favorite people. But from the point of view of management behavior, and more importantly, a condition, an olfactory channel, underestimated, and sometimes even treated with disdain and a smile (for example, the use of aphrodisiacs, oil burner as an alternative type of treatment of psychosomatic disorders). However, in this area conducted special studies, the founder of which was the American psychiatrist A. Hirsch. In his experiments, he noticed that certain scents trigger specific actions and changes in human behavior. Hirsch also stated that odors directly affect the concentration of attention, human performance and, consequently, increased productivity. Inhalation of certain mixtures of odors, the subjects increased or decreased blood pressure, change the heart rate, as well as the subjects passed in the state of strong excitation, euphoria, or Vice versa — relax and fall asleep. During the experiments it was also found that inhalation of certain aromas will relieve the depression of patients, align your emotional balance.

It should be noted that different culture and religion also have an impact on reactions to odors. For example, for Christians the essential oil of frankincense immediately evokes a feeling of Holiness and purity, contact with the divine. Buddhists have similar feelings from juniper incense and oil burner. Most effectively on the state and behavior of people is affected by the inhalation of natural aromatic substances contained in the plants — their leaves, flowers and fruits, as well as in animals (e.g., musk). Such substances are often contained in herbal essential oils. These clean natural smells begin to act in small concentrations. Essential oils are applied in the different States of consciousness since ancient times.

In the old Testament mentioned the world and incense. From 1800 BC incense was used in the construction of temples to enter in certain States a large number of people. 500 BC was built a factory of incense in Corinth. Essential oil first got Avicenna by distillation with steam small pesennogo plant material (leaves, stems, flowers of plants). To work with the States and psychosomatic disorders essential oils used together with the Chinese acupuncture and massage.

The Koran mentions the fragrant substances: "Fragrant substance is a food, awakens the spirit, and the spirit is the camel, which could carry on themselves and to inspire". It is really so. Because the olfactory nerve is the only one associated directly with the brain nerve in the body, which also comes in contact with the environment. In all other sensory systems — tactile, auditory, visual and gustatory information about the outside world passes successively through several nerves and synaptic connections before it reaches the brain.

Thanks to a direct connection between the olfactory nerve and the limbic system of particles of odoriferous substances inhaled from essential oils capable of so quickly and powerfully affect the deep layers of our consciousness. Studies show that this stimulation provide is already quite small, almost homeopathic doses. published

P. S. And remember, only by changing their consumption — together we change the world! ©

 

Source: theoryandpractice.ru