A quasi-randomised pilot study on the efficacy and perceived usefulness of adding chemosignals to mindfulness practice for women with social anxiety.
Emma T Eliasson, Elisa Vigna, Elisa Dal Bò, Cinzia Cecchetto, Letizia Zurlo, Claudio Gentili, Enzo Pasquale Scilingo, Alberto Greco, Fabio Di Francesco, Luca Citi, Nicola Vanello, Johan N Lundström, Gergö Hadlaczky, Vladimir Carli
Scientific Reports September 12, 2025 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-18246-w (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Quasi-randomised pilot study Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 98 |
| Population | Women meeting criteria for Social Anxiety Disorder |
| Intervention | Mindfulness meditation |
| Duration | Two sessions over two consecutive days |
| Topics | Meditation Anxiety |
| Keywords | Chemosignals Olfaction Social anxiety disorder |
| Key points | No significant odour × time interaction effect on state anxiety was found, rejecting the primary hypothesis that emotional body odours enhance mindfulness-induced anxiety reduction. |
Abstract
Body odours (BOs) of individuals in specific emotional states can influence receivers' responses - referred to as an emotional contagion. To investigate the potential of BOs to enhance the effects of mindfulness practice, this quasi-randomised pilot study tested the hypothesis that participants exposed to emotional BOs during mindfulness meditation would exhibit a steeper decrease in state anxiety symptoms compared to mindfulness alone (clean air control). Ninety-eight women meeting criteria for Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) received two mindfulness sessions over two consecutive days, while randomly allocated to one of four conditions: fear BO, joy BO, neutral BO or a clean air control group. No odour × time interaction effect was observed, rejecting the primary hypothesis. Although not statistically significant, effect size estimates suggested a greater reduction in state anxiety for the group receiving fear chemosignals (Day 1 Cohen's d = 0.26, Day 2 Cohen's d = 0.54) compared to the clean air control group. Moreover, the BO groups perceived the mindfulness practice as significantly more helpful compared to the control group (p = 0.002). Given the sample size limits, a larger Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) incorporating more mindfulness + BO sessions is recommended to further examine the therapeutic potential of human BOs.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on anxiety, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cites 6
- Focused attention meditation changes the boundary and configuration of functional networks in the brain Scientific Reports 2020
- Low-intensity mindfulness and cognitive-behavioral therapy for social anxiety: a pilot randomized controlled trial. BMC Psychiatry March 7, 2024
- Mindfulness and CBT: a conceptual integration bridging ancient wisdom and modern cognitive theories of psychopathology. Frontiers in Psychology 2024
- Sniffing out a solution: How emotional body odors can improve mindfulness therapy for social anxiety. Journal of Affective Disorders January 15, 2025
- Mindfulness-based interventions for social anxiety disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychiatry Research April 20, 2021
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