Coffee gives many people a feeling of comfort and refreshment from the moment its aroma wafts, even before they drink it.
A new study shows that simply inhaling the scent of coffee may be associated with improved mood and a reduction in some negative feelings, along with a change in one of the brain activity indicators associated with relaxation.
The study, published in the journal Nutrients, was conducted by researchers from Showa University of Pharmacy in Japan and involved 20 university students aged between 20 and 29.
The researchers asked participants to sit about 50 cm away from freshly brewed coffee, without drinking it, and to inhale its aroma for five minutes. They used 20 grams of ground coffee with 400 ml of water heated to 85 degrees Celsius.
Before and after the experiment, participants rated their levels of stress, anxiety, depression, frustration, fatigue, confusion, and vitality, while researchers recorded brain activity, heart rate, and heart rate variability.
Five minutes after inhaling the aroma of coffee, participants reported reduced levels of fatigue, stress, anxiety, confusion, depression, and frustration, and these results remained statistically significant after making the necessary adjustments to the data.
In contrast, vitality levels did not rise significantly, suggesting that the effect of the scent, according to this study, may be related to alleviating negative emotions rather than providing a direct feeling of energy.
The researchers also recorded a change in an index derived from electroencephalography (EEG) that is associated with relaxation. However, they cautioned against considering this conclusive evidence that the smell of coffee leads to brain relaxation, because the index does not directly measure relaxation, and because the magnitude of the change was small.
The study did not record any clear changes or variations in heart rate, and the researchers did not find a direct relationship between the degree of mood improvement and changes in brain activity or heart function among the participants.
The olfactory system is linked to areas in the brain responsible for memory and emotions, so a familiar smell can quickly evoke associated memories and situations.
The aroma of coffee, in particular, evokes strong associations for many people, such as mornings, warmth, a break from work, or meeting up with friends, in addition to the anticipated effects of caffeine. Another study showed that exposure to a coffee-like scent was linked to improved performance on certain analytical tasks and higher expectations about those tasks.
However, the new study does not prove that the smell of coffee is the direct cause of the improved mood, as it did not include a control group for comparison, such as a group exposed to odorless air or another scent.
The sample was also small and limited to university students, and the researchers did not systematically study the participants' coffee-drinking habits or their preference for it and familiarity with its aroma.
The results suggest that the effect of coffee may begin before it is consumed, but determining the extent of the effect of its aroma alone requires larger studies involving control groups and taking into account the habits and expectations of the participants.
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