Is the smell of coffee enough to stimulate our brain?

Conducted by the Stevens School of Business, Temple University, and Baruch College, these two studies examined whether the smell of coffee alone could be powerful enough to stimulate cognitive performance, even though contains no caffeine.

In the first study, researchers examined the performance of approximately 100 business school students at the Graduate Management Aptitude Test (GMAT), an adaptive computer test required by many business schools. , consisting of ten questions of algebra, to be answered in a computer lab.

The study participants were divided into two groups. Members of the first group had to pbad the test in a coffee-scented atmosphere, while those in the control group pbaded the same test in an odorless atmosphere. The researchers found that members of the "coffee smell" group had much better grades. To find out more, especially to determine if it was the smell of coffee that had increased the concentration of students, and therefore their performance, the team of researchers designed a follow-up questionnaire, which she did.

Consumption-like effect

The questions asked concerned participants' belief that different odors could affect human performance. Participants reported that they thought they would feel more focused and energized, and that their mental task performance would improve, feeling the smell of coffee, rather than the smell of a flower, or no particular smell. These results suggest that a smell of coffee, although caffeine does not play a role, has an effect similar to the consumption of the drink. This is partly due to the expectations of the participants, ie to a possible placebo effect of the smell of coffee.

Researchers are now exploring the effects of the smell of coffee on other types of performance, such as verbal reasoning. Coffee has already been recognized as having many health benefits, including reduced risk of heart disease, diabetes and dementia; some scientists also suggest that it could lengthen life expectancy.

The results of these two studies are published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology.