Scents are more powerful than you think. They can invoke almost-forgotten memories, help us avoid danger, and even get us through a busy day.
Smells are closely related with memories and action.
Ever wondered why you can hardly enjoy food when you have a cold? Were you not amazed at your nose when it detected smoke in a building? That’s because smells are closely related with memories and action.
When we pick up a scent, it is sent to the brain for processing. Cells, called neurons, then send the new scent’s information to two important parts of the brain: the olfactory bulb that identifies what it is AND the thalamus, that’s in-charge of motor function. Hence, when a coffee lover smells coffee, he or she becomes instantly alert – even without drinking the substance yet.
Today, although this sense is underappreciated, it’s one of our most effective arsenals in the following tasks:
- Tasting food
- Remembering certain memories
- Aids in relaxation
- Avoiding danger
Want to stay awake to finish an important business presentation, but you don’t want to eat or drink anything? Take advantage of your sense of smell as a great alternative. One of the most inexpensive and fastest way to do this is to light your favorite scented candles.
Believe it or not, what we smell can even affect our productivity.
If you’re like millions of coffee lovers all over the world, just the scent of freshly ground beans is enough to perk you up. But this isn’t the ONLY scent that could help you beat that office deadline. Rosemary, lemon, mint, and cinnamon are just a few of the scents that could help us work better. Need a quick pick-me-up for a report due in three hours? If you’re not a caffeine fanatic or you don’t like aromatherapy oils, scented candles can do the trick instead.
Here’s why it works and how you can incorporate this in your workplace or home.
Tips For Using Scented Candles For Work Or At Home
You don’t need to drink coffee, rub oils on your wrists, or take medication in order to increase productivity.
The great thing about using scented candles is that they produce subtle scents, which are not overpowering yet effective enough to deliver the results you need. Together with your nose, you can harness their power to help you get more out of your day.
1. Generate Ideas with Peppermint or Cinnamon
Need a little assistance during your brainstorming session? Stuck in a rut without new ideas for your blog? Choose a peppermint or cinnamon scented candle to stimulate your cognitive senses. According to several researches, these smells gave the brain a boost that increased alertness and memory.
2. Stay Awake with Orange or Lemon
It’s usually difficult to keep your eyes open halfway through the day. But you need to – especially if you still have emails to check, reports to compile, and client meetings to attend. An orange or lemon-scented candle should do the trick (opt for orange if you’re not fond of lemons). Keep it lit for about 15 to 30 minutes and let the aroma perk you up for several more hours of productivity.
3. Calm Nerves Before a Presentation Using Jasmine
Speaking before a crowd can get anybody riled up. However, if a company’s reputation or an important business deal is on the line, you would want to be at your best. That means no jittery feet or sweaty hands. In this case, take advantage of nature’s “Valium”, Jasmine, to assist you in this endeavor. A good whiff of this relaxing scent has been known to not only calm nerves, but also improved confidence, optimism, and hand-eye coordination.
4. Focus More Using Rosemary
Mondays are tough enough without having to deal with 3PM fatigue. Make sure you submit reports on time with help from a rosemary-scented candle. The scent should help you – or your colleagues – remember deadlines, and at the same time, relieve headaches or indigestion problems. This is best used in the morning for a quick pick-me-up.
5. Go for Orange to Persuade People
If Jasmine was able to calm you down right before a presentation, a light orange scent in your board room should help clients be on your side during this essential moment. A 2013 study revealed that store owners as well as realtors would use simple scents to attract customers and/or put them in a good mood in order to snag sales.
Avoid using potpourri as these smells are too complex. Light an orange-scented candle instead to put your audiences in the right mood to agree with your ideas.
Extra Notes
Aside from giving a room a nice, romantic appeal, scented candles can help you succeed in various tasks – it all depends on the scent you choose. Before stocking up though, make sure roommates or colleagues are informed. If you tell them that you want to use scented candles to be more productive, they may even pitch in their favorite aromas.
So go ahead and pick up that cinnamon-scented candle. Not only will it warm up your home or office, it should help you breeze through a busy day with a smile.
Featured photo credit: thetruthpreneur via pixabay.com
