Usually we do not give much importance to the aromas and its effects on mood and behavior of people, yet they can have an impressive impact. Most takes care of all aspects of the environment in the stores, the background music, temperature, visual design and even the perception of the product, nevertheless many still ignore the aroma or pretend to aromatize with a spritz here another there.

But to understand how the scent is important we need to reexamine the anatomy.

When an odorant molecule reaches the nose, it projects to the brain. The olfactory capacity varies depending on which nostril is more open, more closed with the olfactory has the largest capacity. The olfactory cycle is such that there is a change in the air flow every three hours when one nostril opens, the other closes. A deeper inhalation allows one to realize this flavor, while a shorter inhalation is best to identify the fragrance. Neurotransmitters in the olfactory bulb are numerous, including those involved in the adrenaline and excitement, norepinephrine. The olfactory bulb also designs the amygdala area of the brain important for the direction of attention, fear, anger and emotions. So the olfactory system influence the emotional state of people. The aromas are important in only emotion, but also because the part of the brain responsible for smell or the limbic lobe is the emotional brain in a particular right brain involved with emotion.

The scents are not only important for this, but detect a danger signal, for example, if food is spoiled or if there is a leak of gas. Traditionally we consider the scents when we smell and the quickest way to empty a room is with the presence of a bad smell. We do everything in an attempt to cover up a bad smell. However, each person has a different perception of odor. What one person calls stench is different from someone else calls stench.

There are plenty of ways that smells can influence the behavior and mood of people. One is evoking a nostalgic olfactory response where a flavoring may induce a change in memory.

A second is as flavorings can produce change in the frequency of analysis of brain wave, e.g., lavender increases alpha waves in the dorsal part of the head associated with a more relaxed state. Jasmine increases beta waves in the front of the head associated with a more alert state. In studies with medical students can observe changes in brain wave frequencies to levels that were so low that students could not even detect if there was a gift aroma. Again this makes anatomic sense because apart from the brain involved with memory and emotion is the same area where projects the olfactory bulb. It is because of this mechanism that one can understand that both pleasant and unpleasant smells can induce changes. You can use different methods to get rid of bad smells. One aspect of greatest impact is the elimination of the smell of cigarette smoke.

After having demonstrated the changes in the frequency of brain wave with a mixed floral aroma, even at such low levels that people could not detect it, then a study of how the aromas influenced people´s perceptions regarding the Nike shoes in presence and absence of a mixed floral scent. The study found that in the presence of mixed floral aroma 84% of people said they enjoyed even more of shoes and were more willing to purchase them. Not only they were more willing to buy the shoes, but most would pay an average of US $ 10.33 more per pair of shoes. The aroma has affected women more than men. There was a negative effect in which cigarette smokers were less influenced to buy the shoes. In addition, we also observed other aspects and found that the scent could influence people in a subliminal way and also could even affect them if they were emotionally inclined against the shoes.

The scents create or recreate a pleasant universe to the individual. The latter associated with certain events of your life (vacation, childhood) very specific odors.

We conducted several studies on the influence of aromas in jewelry but also in the perception of the smell of leather. In a study of more than 30,000 people, we found that people generally preferred the smell of artificial leather to the leather, and therefore that´s why cars are now pre-impregnated with an artificial leather aroma.

Then we observe the behavior of on gambling in the presence and absence of aromas and found that the presence of a pleasant aroma people bet 45.1% more money in vending machines. With a higher level of aroma increased by 53%, suggesting that the scent could have a striking impact on leisure activities or in particular risk. Why is there this effect? We do not have much certainty and there are several theories. One is that since the limbic system is engaged so as quickly to induce changes in mood or behavior is the aroma. The aroma is or "I like it" or "I do not like it" and then you decide whether it is sexy as all other modalities. Similarly when you ask a person to define a framework, a tree, a horse or a cow and if, in fact, like it or not. The aroma works exactly the opposite way to a cognitive perception.

It´s almost like when you realize an autonomous hyperstimulation when you hear someone scratching their nails on a blackboard. It makes no logical sense, yet it is an innate emotional response. The effects of wave EEG suggest this to be the case.

Another possible mechanism of how scents can influence people´s behavior is through a Pavlovian conditioned reflex mechanism (Ivan Petrovich Pavlov, Russian physiologist. Nobel Prize in 1904 for his work on the digestive glands, and author of studies on the conditioned reflexes, the higher nervous activity and the activities of the cerebral hemispheres) or olfactory evoked nostalgic response, approximately 85% of people said that scents induced an olfactory nostalgia evoked response depending on where they grew up and when they grew up. The aroma number one in the United States was the breads and baked cakes. If you grew up on the East Coast, the scent of flowers was the subject of his childhood. In the south, it was the pure air aroma. In the Midwest, it was the smell of cooked meat and barbecue. For people from other regions of the world the nostalgic flavors are different: corn, for example, is described among the inhabitants of Africa, or herring for those in Scandinavia. Likewise, people born between 1900 and 1930 were more likely to describe natural flavors such as trees, hay, horses, pine meadows and things like that. People born between 1930 and 1980 described artificial flavors such as gasoline, hairspray hair, Vicks VapoRub, chewing gum.

It also depended on whether they had a happy childhood. One in fourteen described an unhappy childhood. So those who had an unhappy childhood described unpleasant smells of manure, feces, urine, blood and things like that. Thus, this is another possible mechanism by which the scents could influence the behavior and mood of the people to increase sales. Another would be influenced in fact the frequency of brain wave as we demonstrate with medical students making them more alert and working on your reticular system or making them more relaxed. This would lead someone to do something they would not do otherwise? Possibly, but can clearly increase sales. The average American consumer has been in contact with a product or a location that we scent at least once in the last three weeks.

About 18% of those who have lost their sense of smell result of head trauma or associated diseases, developed a sexual dysfunction. This interaction between scent and sexual functioning has been well described over the centuries, not only in ancient Egypt and Pompeii, but even in modern times. Freud described the association between scent and sexual stimulation suggesting that to continue as a civilized society would have to suppress all olfactory instincts, otherwise the man would walk by sexually aroused around all the time.

The term pheromone is discussed in terms of physiology. There is evidence that pheromones can develop physiologically, naturally and experimentally.

In particular, studies focused on the way the scents influence the sexual stimulus will be discussed observing the influence of aromas on the sexual stimulus, not only in terms of the reticular activating system, reducing anxiety, olfactory evoked nostalgia and Pavlovian. The aromas that had these positive effects in men include lavender and pumpkin pie, donuts and black licorice; pumpkin pie and donut with individual variation, so the older the greatest man satiety with vanilla, those who were more sexually satisfied had the largest increase with strawberry, and those with more frequent intercourse had the greatest increase with lavender or Eastern and coca cola flavoring.

The percentage changes included 3% for floral aromas, an increase of 5% with pizza cheese, buttered popcorn with 9% and 40% with lavender and pumpkin pie.

Also analyzed the effects of aromas on weight loss, including as banana smell, green apple mint 3,193 people induced within six months to lose an average of 2.1% body weight per month, and 200 grams 2K per month in our study group.

The influences the flavor and learning behavior was observed that a mixed floral scent learning increased 17% compared to a condition with no aroma.

Also analyzed the effects of aromas in the exercise, including how the smell of buttered popcorn and strawberry increase the amount of calories burned in the same period of time compared to any aroma.