Background

Question 1

Past studies have shown that we tend to rate those with direct or indirect pleasant scents?

Answer 1

to rate those with direct or indirect pleasant scents higher than those without
Smell is the most primitive and provocative

Question 2

AIM of the Study?

Answer 2

to determine whether briefly presented olfactory cues can modulate visual judgments of facial attractiveness and to examine whether olfactory cues of differing hedonic value (pleasant vs. unpleasant) can enhance and/or reduce the perceived attractiveness of a seen face

Question 3

Hypothesis of the Study?

Answer 3

A pleasant odor can modulate female participants’ ratings of the perceived attractiveness of briefly presented male faces

Question 4

Sample?

Answer 4

16 females from the University of Oxford
Age range 20-34, mean age of 26
All were naïve as to the purpose of the experiment (to reduce demand characteristics)

Question 5

All the Participants answered?

Answer 5

All answered a questionnaire for control purposes:
Good general health & no colds/flu, and/or allergies
Normal sense of olfactory and visual senses
Ability to perceive odors and colors

Question 6

What photos were chosen to use?

Answer 6

40 male faces chosen from work by Perrett (1998)

20 faces from “high” and 20 from “low” facial attractiveness

Question 7

What were the scents used?

Answer 7

Neutral odor of ‘clean medical air’ and 4 odors chosen from pilot research-

2 pleasant (Gravity [male fragrance] & geranium)

2 unpleasant (rubber & synthetic body odor 2M3M)

Question 8

How was the fragrance released?

Answer 8

Custom built olfactometer was used to deliver the odorants. Flow was modulated through a regulator at adjusted concentrations to standardize procedure