This is what happy people feel like, according to science

The key to happiness could be right under our noses – literally – thanks to a new series of fragrances that combine several ingredients chosen to enhance mood through neurochemistry. Statements about the effect of smells on our emotions – the lavender Calm, energizing citrus fruits have been in circulation for decades. But the latest formulas are more luxurious than aromatherapy and were born in laboratories, not dusty workshops.

Does happiness really smell? At the elementary level, yes. Your body odor is such a snapshot of how you’re feeling that it’s hard to get caught up in the ” emotional sweating Follower Researchers at Utrecht University They discovered virtually odorless “chemical signals” secreted by apocrine glands (a type of gland that secretes sweat), which are sensitive to emotions and stress.

In other words, if you feel happy, you naturally give specific smell. Even better, there is evidence that these chemical signals can trigger the same feelings in people who feel them. Similarly, scent can trigger a subconscious response of pleasure, relaxation or happiness. All fragrances are composed of odor molecules, which enter the limbic system of our brain, where our feelings are processed and our memories are stored. What we smell can also cause the release of neurotransmitters – chemicals that make us feel good – such as serotonin and dopamine.

But that’s not all: “When we smell good, it can lead to a happy memory,” explains Nicola Bozzani, Creative Director of Perfume. The Merchant of Veniceadding, “Citrus scents are particularly uplifting, in large part because they evoke the scent of citrus. seasonality (summer) and the (Mediterranean) landscape, two elements that remind us of holidays.” Another example is vanilla. If you baked with your mother or grandmother when you were little, it smells vanilla It often relaxes you and, even today, takes you back to the sweetness of your childhood cooking.

Water power

So don’t underestimate the power of fragrance to cheer you up when you need relief. today is perfumes They are more subtle mood enhancers. “We’re looking for a deeper connection,” says Flo Glendinning, vice president of product and sustainability at The Nue Co. “Using the olfactory system as a highway to the brain is the fastest way to influence how you feel. Thus, the brand’s latest fragrance, HydrotherapyBlue medicine, which is the belief that spending time near water has a positive effect on our mental health.

According to a marine biologist Wallace J Nichols, who coined the term “blue mind,” the sight, sound, and sensation of water creates a flood of neurochemicals. These in turn stimulate the alpha brain waves, which cause a state of relaxation, and the parasympathetic nervous system to put us into a more relaxed state. contemplative.