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Lavender may make you more giving. We all prefer some smells over others, but new research suggests that certain scents may change the way you behave. “The researchers set up a trust game in a room misted with one of two aromas: lavender, which is considered soothing, and peppermint, which is associated with alertness and energy. The researchers put a few drops of essential oils, diffused by a candle, in the room before the 90 young adults in the study came in to play. The trust game is a test that measures levels of trust. One person (the “trustor”) gets money, and they can keep it or give any amount of it to the other person. If they give, the cash received triples and the person who just got a cash infusion gets to decide whether to share it with the original trustor. Without being told about any change in scent, when people smelled lavender, they gave significantly more money than when they had sniffed peppermint or nothing at all.” The researchers think the effect has to do with the way our sense of smell is linked to part of the brain that control trust. The calming effect of lavender may boost activity in those regions of the brain.
