Does scent affect your mood or work performance?

With the country easing into another lockdown, being effective working from home and sustaining long periods of productivity is something we’re all wondering how to get a grip on.

Working from home is always a privilege, and sometimes it’s a necessity — removing distractions, structuring your day and staying active are all ways to keep your work performance at office-level productivity, but can scent help too?

Working from home can be challenging, but with scent, less so.

The simple answer is yes, but the reasons may not be what you expect.

Smell is one the strongest senses we possess, allowing us to influence brain activity. Just like how a specific scent reminds you of a memory of something or someone, the power of scent can affect mood and behaviour.

Although not essential, training your mind to associate a specific scent with ‘work time’ can be surprisingly powerful, by giving your brain all the right signals for you to focus on what you need to get done.

Even if you don’t, the scents themselves have been proven to have a positive effect on productivity and work performance, not to mention your mood!

Here’s our list of essential oils to help you power through your day:

1. Lemon isn’t just a fresh, bright smell with universal appeal. According to research at Ohio State University, smelling lemon raises levels of norepinephrine, a brain chemical linked to easier decision-making and upped motivation.
2. Rosemary — Just as Shakespeare wrote in the 1600s, “There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance. His words ring true when it comes to aromatherapy, Rosemary is known to stimulate the mind and the memory. In research conducted at Northumbria University, inhaling rosemary essential oil improved both speed and accuracy on demanding mental tasks, and raised memory test scores by more than ten percent!
3. Peppermint — An invigorating, clean and fresh essential oil, peppermint is known to stimulate the brain, rejuvenate the senses, and increase the ability to think clearly and effectively. And my personal favourite!
4. Frankincense lets you de-stress without becoming too relaxed, a perfect balance. A study published in the Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology found that the aroma of frankincense could activate anti-depressive pathways in the brain and lower anxiety!
5. Pine — In one Japanese study, walking through a pine forest reduced stress for those taking part. Pine has been used to elevate the mood for decades, thanks to its antidepressant properties. Pine has been proven to increase alertness and give you headspace to allow focus for the task at hand.

Other honourable mentions include lemongrass and lavender, which are great for helping you to wind down in the evening to give the best chance at being fully recharged for the next day.

So, there you have it! Scent does in fact affect your mood and work performance, and many other forms of behaviour; particularly via their learned associations. But you should note that scent is subjective — what scent empowers some people to work, may not have the same effect on you, but you should certainly give it a try!

Let us know what you’ve found helps you to concentrate. We’re all in this together! 😊