Sniffing out a solution: How emotional body odors can improve mindfulness therapy for social anxiety.
Cinzia Cecchetto, Elisa Dal Bò, Emma T Eliasson, Elisa Vigna, Ludovica Natali, Enzo Pasquale Scilingo, Alberto Greco, Fabio Di Francesco, Gergö Hadlaczky, Johan N Lundström, Vladimir Carli, Claudio Gentili
Journal of affective disorders January 15, 2025 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2024.10.088 via PubMed
Summary
Exposure to human body odors (BOs) from happiness or fear, compared to clean air, reduced self-reported anxiety during mindfulness practice over two days in women with social anxiety symptoms. However, fear BO exposure also decreased heart rate variability, indicating a less physiologically relaxed state. No differences in skin conductance were found. The findings suggest that emotional BOs create a sense of social presence, potentially enhancing the ecological validity of psychological treatments, and may eventually be used to augment existing therapies.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 48 |
| Population | Women with social anxiety symptoms |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Affective symptoms Body odors Human chemosignals Olfaction |
| Citations | 5 |
| Key finding | Exposure to happiness or fear body odors reduced self-reported anxiety during mindfulness practice, but fear body odor also decreased heart rate variability, indicating reduced physiological relaxation. |
Abstract
Human body odors (BOs) serve as an effective means of social communication, with individuals exposed to emotional BOs experiencing a partial replication of the sender's affective state. This phenomenon may be particularly relevant in conditions where social interactions are impaired, such as social anxiety. Our study aimed to investigate if emotional human BOs could augment the benefits of mindfulness-based interventions. We enrolled 48 women with social anxiety symptoms and assigned them to groups exposed to happiness BO, fear BO, or clean air. Participants engaged in mindfulness practice over two consecutive days, which included breathing, meditation, and relaxation exercises. During these interventions, the odor specific to each group was presented. Affective symptoms were assessed at the beginning and end of each day, with heart rate variability (HRV) and skin conductance level (SCL) recorded during the intervention. Self-reported anxiety level revealed a significant reduction in anxiety on the second day for both happiness and fear conditions, but not for the clean air group. However, on a physiological level, fear BO exposure compared to clean air led to decreased HRV, indicating that fear BO may induce a less physiological relaxed state. No significant differences were observed in SCL between odor conditions. These findings suggest that exposure to BOs triggers the perception of a "social presence", improving the ecological validity of a psychological treatment. If replicated and expanded, these findings could pave the way for using BOs as catalysts in existing therapies.