How Do Scents Affect Our Emotions?

Has a scent ever carried you, in a single instant, back to your childhood or to a holiday you had forgotten? This is no coincidence — scent is the sense that reaches your brain's center of emotion and memory the fastest.

The Direct Line Between Scent and the Brain

Visual and auditory stimuli pass through a filter called the thalamus before reaching the brain; there they are evaluated and interpreted accordingly. Scent, however, bypasses this filter. The signal from the nasal receptors travels directly to the limbic system — the center of emotion, memory and instinctive response. That is why the feeling a scent leaves becomes visible before you ever have the chance to interpret it with reason.

Scents and Their Emotional Effects

Neuroscience and aromatherapy have long worked together on the effects of different scent families on human psychology. In short:

• Lavender, jasmine, sandalwood: Soothing. They reduce stress, improve sleep quality and slow the heart rate.
• Citrus, eucalyptus, mint: Mind-clearing. They boost performance in tasks that demand concentration and focus.
• Vanilla, amber, musk: A sense of trust and warmth. They create ease in social interaction.
• Woody and spicy notes: Depth and mystery. They produce a characterful, resolute and inward mood.
• White flowers (freesia, gardenia, magnolia): Romantic and vital. A feeling of new beginnings and lightness.

The NOU-ERE Design Philosophy

NOU-ERE's family of 10 scents was not chosen at random from among possible labels to sell. Each one was designed for a specific emotional intention:

• SOAVE — a composition of white flowers and musk; inner peace and lightness.
• TORRO — spice and tobacco; strength and resolve.
• ETNA — cinnamon, tonka, plum; warm and enchanting.
• SOLLEONE — citrus and bay; vitality and energy.
• OMBRA — woody and dark notes; depth and a retreat into the inner world.

Drawing a Space's Mood with Scent

Every space has an intention. The bedroom should be serene; the study, fresh; the living room, inviting; the bathroom, clean. To build these intentions not with words but with scent — is to govern your living space with a spiritual balance. In this equation, NOU-ERE offers a different spell for every room.