Fruity Scent Enhanced Dancing & Club Experience

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, we return to the topic of the aphrodisiac potential of food aromas — and in particular how fruity, citrusy-scents appear to affect romantic behavior. The real-life occasion for this inquiry was the curious olfactory challenge posed by the banning of smoking in nightclubs. Apparently that haze of smoke had been masking unpleasant odors that one might associate with the combination of lots of alcohol and many bodies packed into a confined space. Dutch researchers infused three different dance clubs with various scents, and then evaluated impact on activity and attitudes among the party crowd. The results were astonishing.

The study found that when orange aroma was wafted into the throng, the number of people on the dance floor increased by 57%. This impact was so significant it raised the club temperature by 4 degrees, compared to no scent. People stayed 40% longer — and as a result of all this citrusy socializing, total revenues for the evening rose 22%. So, was there something special about the orange aroma? While orange was only marginally more effective than a peppermint and saltwater scent, previous research suggests citrus aromas may enhance perceptions of the opposite sex. Indeed, one startling study found that the scent of pink grapefruit caused men to underestimate women’s ages by an average of six years!

The latter research was conducted by Dr. Alan Hirsch, of the Smell & Taste Treatment Research Foundation. His work indicates that food odors can prompt arousal — indeed the scents of pumpkin pie, black licorice and doughnuts appealed to men. These foods, of course, won’t help you lose weight — but the scents of banana and apple might! Dr. Hirsch recently shared some of his other insights with the Dole Nutrition Institute in this “scent-sational” interview – click here to view.