Have you ever wondered what the richest smell in the world is? How are we able to identify pleasant aromas from repulsive ones? Will the perception of the smell depend on individual taste, cultural factors or a universal determinant that has to do with with the chemical structure of molecules?
Well, in a study recently published in Current Biology by a group led by Artin Arshamian at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinskase Institute, it was determined that the combination of the three mentioned factors influences our perception of aromas, and they discovered that the vainilla it is the universally most pleasing essence.
It is known that, as in the other senses, smell is produced by sensory systems that connect from the nasal cavity to our brain. The aromas to which we are exposed, practically from birth, are different in all parts of the world and will depend, for example, on the level of urbanization and the lifestyle we lead.
On the other hand, there are studies that indicate that, despite these variables, the perception of aromas is universal, depending on its chemical structure, which gives it exclusive physicochemical properties and, therefore, is predictive.
To solve this puzzle and assess how influential these three factors are, the researchers asked 225 people from 9 different cultures (See figure 1) who classified a series of 10 selected substances on a range from most pleasant to least pleasant.
The results showed that the classification of substances, from more pleasant to less pleasant, was explained in 6% by culture, in 54% by individual perception and in 41% explained by the universal determinant. And the substance that was universally classified as the most pleasant was the chemical compound called vanillin, the main component of vanilla.
In this way, although culture affects perception, its influence is relatively small compared to individual preference and the universal principles highlighted in the participants when classifying substances.
This indicates that, from the properties of the compounds, the classification of aromas can be predicted to a certain extent. In addition, this fact can explain that odors are perceived in this way due to common experiences shared by all human beings, which might consist of the perception learned from our ancestors regarding the relationship between pleasant odors and healthy and non-toxic food.
The full study is located at: «The perception of odor pleasantness is shared across cultures»
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