Could Your Perfume Make You Seem More Reliable?

Scent is universally acknowledged as a key factor in how humans relate to the world, make decisions, and catalogue memories. The scent of baby powder often evokes the comfort of childhood, a pine tree may recall the delight of Christmas, and Chanel No. 5 might conjure up thoughts of that one effortlessly elegant friend you have. Now it seems there's a connection between scent and human relationships. A Leiden University study proves that lavender may increase your reliability in the eyes of others, according to the Huffington Post. Building bonds with acquaintances and gaining approval for business ventures may be as simple as dabbing on a dot of your favorite essential oil.

Lavender has long been touted as a favorite essence to lull agitated minds to sleep and provide a panacea for any sort of stress, but the plant's ability to establish good faith between two people is a revelation. Leiden University discovered the correlation by recruiting volunteers for a "trust game", in which players were labeled either trustors or trustees. Trustors were allowed 5 Euros to relinquish to or keep from each trustee, who could then give part of the money back to their trustor or keep it. Players were found to entrust more funds with trustees after inhaling the scent of lavender.

Though the particulars of the chemistry behind exactly why lavender induces a deeper sense of trust between individuals remains hazy, you may do well to pick out a scent with notes of lavender when you're hoping to curry favor with a friend, colleague, or stranger. Just make sure to keep the scent within reason; a trusting co-worker or friend is no good to you if they're sound asleep.