Imagine a scent you’re familiar with. Now, actually go find something with that scent and sniff it. Chances are, imagining the scent caused the same reaction in your respiratory system as actually sniffing it did. This is the result of a recent study by German scientists, published in the journal Chemical Senses. They’re calling what happens in our minds when we imagine a scent “olfactory imagery.” Fifty-six people with normal olfactory function were asked, alternately, to imagine or sniff four different odors, all odors considered pleasant by most (coffee, rose, lemon and banana). A significant increase in respiratory volume and amplitude were detected with both activities, and the increase was the same. The researchers concluded that the same mechanism is operating in the respiratory system with olfactory imagery that operates with sniffing.
Read the full study in Chemical Senses Journal.
