Olfactory thresholds and level of anxiety

Rovee, Carolyn Kent; Harris, Sandra; Yopp, R.

doi:10.3758/bf03327719

Cited by 17 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 10 publications

(8 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…one earlier study found the opposite pattern: women scoring high on the anxiety scale had higher thresholds (were less sensitive) than less anxious ones (Rovee et al 1973; although these authors selected individuals with the highest scores of anxiety, which could explain their opposite results). What might contribute to such discrepancies?…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 51%

Olfactory Perception is Positively Linked to Anxiety in Young Adults

et al. 2012

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. Olfactory abilities show a high degree of inter-individual variability and this could be partly related to personality differences. Here, in two studies, we tested a potential link between personality dimensions and olfactory perception. Sixty-eight (study 1) and a hundred and fifty-six (study 2) young adults completed the Big Five questionnaire and performed the Sniffin' Sticks test for assessing odour threshold, identification, and (in study 2) discrimination. In neither study did we find a significant link between personality dimensions and olfactory identification scores. However, in study 1, we found a significant positive correlation between the neuroticism dimension and olfactory sensitivity. This was mainly due to the anxiety and self-consciousness subscales, which load onto the neuroticism dimension. In a follow-up study, we again found a significant association between anxiety and odour perception, specifically in odour discrimination. Our results indicate that variability in anxiety could partly explain the high inter-individual variation in olfactory perception.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 51%

Olfactory Perception is Positively Linked to Anxiety in Young Adults

et al. 2012

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This latter finding is in congruence with research focused on emotional (personal) styles and olfactory sensi-A tivity. Olfactory sensitivity for octanol was examined in high-and low-anxiety women, and the results showed that highly anxious women had reliably higher thresholds than did women low in anxiety (Rovee, Harris, & Yopp, 1973). In a similar vein, Herbener, Kagan, and Cohen (1989) reported that level of shyness (introversion) was related to odor thresholds; participants high in shyness had lower olfactory thresholds for butanol than participants with low shyness scores.…”

mentioning

confidence: 91%

Odor Identification: Influences of Age, Gender, Cognition, and Personality

Larsson

Finkel²,

Pedersen³

2000

The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences an

195

168

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The aim of this study was to examine the influences of age, gender, cognitive abilities, and personality styles on odor identification. Participants (N = 532) aged 45-87 years from the Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging were assessed with a Swedish version of the National Geographic Smell Survey. Both detection and identification of olfactory information were impaired with age. Gender had no effect on detection or identification. Hierarchical regressions revealed that proficiency in semantic memory, intensity perception, and personality style (i.e., neuroticism, impulsivity, and lack of assertiveness) were potent predictors for successful odor identification, even when individual variations in chronological age, sex, education, and global cognitive functioning were taken into account.

show abstract

“…Only a few studies indicate that anxiety could be associated with reduced olfactory abilities, such as, high state and trait anxiety predicting reduced odor detection sensitivity and odor recognition sensitivity (Takahashi et al., 2015). Furthermore, highly anxious individuals show higher detection thresholds for n-octanol than low anxious individuals (Rovee, Harris, & Yopp, 1973).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Stress on Odor Perception

2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The olfactory system and emotional systems are highly intervened and share common neuronal structures. The current study investigates whether emotional (e.g., anger and fear) and physiological (saliva cortisol) stress responses are associated with odor identification ability and hedonic odor judgments (intensity, pleasantness, and unpleasantness). Nineteen men participated in the modified Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) and a control session (cycling on a stationary bike). The physiological arousal was similar in both sessions. In each session, participants' odor identification score was assessed using the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test, and their transient mood was recorded on the dimensions of valence, arousal, anger, and anxiety. Multivariate regression analyses show that an increase of cortisol in the TSST session (as compared with the control session) is associated with better odor identification performance (β = .491) and higher odor intensity ratings (β = .562). However, increased anger in the TSST session (as compared with the control session) is associated with lower odor identification performance (β = -.482). The study shows divergent effects of the emotional and the physiological stress responses, indicating that an increase of cortisol is associated with better odor identification performance, whereas increased anger is associated with poorer odor identification performance.

show abstract

Olfactory thresholds and level of anxiety

Cited by 17 publications

References 10 publications

Olfactory Perception is Positively Linked to Anxiety in Young Adults

Olfactory Perception is Positively Linked to Anxiety in Young Adults

Odor Identification: Influences of Age, Gender, Cognition, and Personality

The Impact of Stress on Odor Perception

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About