Some experts believe you can level up your concentration simply by picking the right scent. But does the science pass the smell test?
Lying in bed, struggling to write the introduction to this story, I turned to my make-up artist fiancé and said, ‘Give me an example of a time in life when you reallyneededtoconcentrate.’Hepausedforamoment tothink–beforeshovinghisiPhoneinmyface.‘Look at this picture – what do you think of the woman’s eyeshadow?’ If that isn’t a commentary on the state of our attention spans, I don’t know what is. Even the experts who study concentration suggest our ability to focus is on the decline. ‘I’ve heard from somanypeoplewhosaytheyhavetroubleinthisarea,’ says Gloria Mark, author of the book Attention Span and a professor at the University of California at Irvine who studies digital behaviour and distraction. Professor Mark’s research – inspired by her own experience with having trouble staying on task – found that the average person’s ability to concentrate on a single on-screen task has shrunk by more than a minute. What’s clear to her – and others studying the phenomenon–isthatgettingstuffdoneisgetting harder–withendlessdistractionstoblame.
Behavioural scientists have created myriad ways to stem this tide, from mindfulness to cognitive training and lifestyle switches. But there may be a solution that’s right under your nose: a perfume. Nearly every major fragrance company now has a division dedicated to developing scents to improve your health, mental state or attention span. ‘One of the biggest complaints we heard from consumers about their wellbeing was a lack of focus, so we thought we should look into this,’ says Gabriela Chelariu, senior perfumer at DSM-Firmenich, a fragrance development house. Could the path to a clearer mind really be through your nose? I sniffed around to find out.
OLFACTORY SETTINGS
If the idea that a scent can help you check off your to-do list elicits an eye roll, you’d be right to feel incredulous; the research in this area is scant. But when you consider that the brain region governing our ability to concentrate – known as the prefrontal cortex – can be affected by scent, it’s not so far-fetched, says Pamela Dalton, co-chair of the postdoctoral training programme at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, which researches taste and smell. ‘The prefrontal cortex helps us prioritise to reduce impulsiveness and integrates information from the olfactory cortex and other brain regions.’
Indeed, smelling certain essential oils, such as rosemary, spearmint and peppermint, can have a positive impact on learning and memory, and even improve your performance on cognitive tasks, according to some small studies. These herbal notes can be found in the new wellness fragrance created by Louis Vuitton, Pacific Chill, which combin
