The Power of Scent: Support Emotional Wellbeing and Build Positive Habits

Have you ever had the experience of walking down the street when a scent suddenly transports you to a specific place or reminds you of someone from your past?

Almost everyone has experienced this. In this article, we’ll briefly explore why this happens—and how, by using the same neurological structure, we can consciously harness scent to support emotional regulation.

The Science of Scent

Our sense of smell (olfactory) is unique among the senses. Evolutionarily, it is the oldest. And in the womb, it’s one of the first to develop.

In the brain, smell stands apart because it’s the only sense that doesn’t pass through the thalamus—the brain’s “sorting station.” Instead, scent signals go straight from the nose to the olfactory bulb, which is located within the brain and is directly connected to the limbic system—the emotional center of the brain.

This is why we often react to a smell before we’re consciously aware of it, leading to expressions like, “I was hit by a smell out of nowhere.” Because of this direct link, scents can powerfully trigger emotions, memories, and even behaviours, such as food aversions or fear responses.

The Limbic System Includes:

Amygdala – emotional response: fight or flight

Hippocampus – memory formation

Piriform Cortex – scent identification and preference

Orbitofrontal Cortex – decision-making and behavioural regulation

In addition to this wiring, our brains love to create shortcuts—unconscious associations that help us navigate the world. For example, if we had multiple stressful visits to the hospital as children, the smell of antiseptic or clinics can later trigger anxiety—even years after the original experience.

Crucially, however this is also what will allow us to consciously create such effective tools for positive habit building and emotional regulation.

Classical Conditioning

• The basis from which our scent tools are formed

The discovery of these connections are the foundation on which Classical Conditioning has since been built. In short—when a stimulus becomes associated with a response.

This can involve anything from the ‘ping’ of a microwave to the smell of tarmac. The concept was most famously demonstrated by Pavlov’s dog experiment, where dogs learned to associate a bell with food. (read more here)

So how can we consciously condition for our Emotional Wellbeing?

The first step is to understand what you want to change—and when it tends to show up.

– Is it overthinking when you turn out the lights? A wave of panic before meetings?

Next, identify what you’d like to feel instead. Calm? Confidence? Focus?

Once we have all this, we are ready to create an anchor.

Anchoring (a term coined by Nero-linguistic Programming) involves linking a specific emotional state to a sensory trigger—in this case, a scent. By repeatedly pairing a chosen scent with a positive action or emotional state, your brain begins to form a shortcut.

Over time, the scent alone becomes enough to re-activate that desired feeling or response, even in a different context.

An example:

If you practice meditation in a room that always smells of wood polish (I am choosing a purposefully bizarre example to show how malleable and subjective scent can be), your brain will begin to associate that scent with calm. Eventually, the scent alone can help re-trigger that feeling—no matter where you are.

A small note to finish

We all know that it can occasionally be a struggle to stick to certain habits or pick ourselves up when we are down. This is especially true in today’s world, where many of us are juggling multiple roles. Often these ups and downs are led by unconscious olfactory cues, as well as external pressures: a difficult client, family responsibilities, a breakup, etc.

While we can’t control everything, adding a scent tool to the armoury can give us more control over how we respond, and the habits we build to support us.

Scent & Slumber: A Holistic Sleep Workshop

If you’d like to experience the science of scent and how it can induce relaxation first hand, our upcoming workshop is designed for you. Our team of experts will guide you through creating your own bespoke scent to aid your bedtime routine, identify cognitive and behavioural barriers to sleep, and hold a meditation and breathwork practice to calm your nervous system.

Join us on Thursday the 26th June, 6.30-8.30pm and take the first step toward transforming your sleep.

Find out more here.