Sniffing out a solution: How emotional body odors can improve mindfulness therapy for social anxiety.
Cinzia Cecchetto, Elisa Dal Bò, Emma T Eliasson, Elisa Vigna, Ludovica Natali, Enzo Pasquale Scilingo, Alberto Greco, Fabio Di Francesco, Gergö Hadlaczky, Johan N Lundström, Vladimir Carli, Claudio Gentili
Journal of Affective Disorders January 15, 2025 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2024.10.088 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 48 |
| Population | Women with social anxiety symptoms |
| Interventions | meditation or clean air |
| Duration | Two consecutive days |
| Topics | Meditation Anxiety |
| Keywords | Affective symptoms Body odors Human chemosignals Olfaction Social anxiety |
| Citations | 5 |
| Key findings | Exposure to happiness or fear body odors reduced self-reported anxiety during mindfulness practice, but fear body odor also decreased heart rate variability, indicating reduced physiological relaxation. |
Abstract
Human body odors (BOs) serve as an effective means of social communication, with individuals exposed to emotional BOs experiencing a partial replication of the sender's affective state. This phenomenon may be particularly relevant in conditions where social interactions are impaired, such as social anxiety. Our study aimed to investigate if emotional human BOs could augment the benefits of mindfulness-based interventions. We enrolled 48 women with social anxiety symptoms and assigned them to groups exposed to happiness BO, fear BO, or clean air. Participants engaged in mindfulness practice over two consecutive days, which included breathing, meditation, and relaxation exercises. During these interventions, the odor specific to each group was presented. Affective symptoms were assessed at the beginning and end of each day, with heart rate variability (HRV) and skin conductance level (SCL) recorded during the intervention. Self-reported anxiety level revealed a significant reduction in anxiety on the second day for both happiness and fear conditions, but not for the clean air group. However, on a physiological level, fear BO exposure compared to clean air led to decreased HRV, indicating that fear BO may induce a less physiological relaxed state. No significant differences were observed in SCL between odor conditions. These findings suggest that exposure to BOs triggers the perception of a "social presence", improving the ecological validity of a psychological treatment. If replicated and expanded, these findings could pave the way for using BOs as catalysts in existing therapies.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on anxiety, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
- Emotional body odors alter autonomic nervous activity during mindfulness training in social anxiety. Journal of Anxiety Disorders June 10, 2026
- A quasi-randomised pilot study on the efficacy and perceived usefulness of adding chemosignals to mindfulness practice for women with social anxiety. Scientific Reports September 12, 2025
Cites 4
- Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Anxiety and Depression Psychiatric Clinics of North America September 18, 2017
- Effect of meditation on stress-induced changes in cognitive functions. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine March 2011
- Mindfulness and the attenuation of post-event processing in social phobia: an experimental investigation. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy 2011
- Mindfulness meditation improves cognition: evidence of brief mental training. Consciousness and Cognition April 3, 2010