Smell And Taste Hedonics

 Smell And Taste Hedonics - Published January 2008

You are no longer only what you eat, but what you smell too. For the past 3 weeks I have been reading as much as possible on neurologist and psychiatrist Dr. Alan Hirsch. Neurological director and founder of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago for over 25 years, Dr. Hirsch has dedicated his medical career to focusing on the treatment of smell and taste related disorders and such. The author of over 100 articles on said topics for various well respected medical journals, he has also written 6 books on the subject.

Dr. Hirsch and his team have complied breakthrough research on the direct correlation between weight loss and scent with test subjects reporting healthy levels of decreased body mass over a period of 6 months ."The urge to eat too much is governed not by the stomach - as most people believe - but by a specific portion of the brain called the satiety center. Once you understand how taste and smell affect this center, you can satisfy it by sniffing certain scents whenever you feel the urge to overeat," he writes. Dubbed "the Magellan of the nasal passages" by talk show goddess Oprah (surname not required), Dr Hirsch has some interesting, quirky and original data to offer. A well respected individual in his field, he has appeared on The Oprah Show, CNN, 20/20 and Good Morning America to name a few.

States Dr. Hirsch, "90% of taste is actually smell." A basic and obvious approach to scent is our first instinct to smells. A person who smells 'good' to us will subconsciously make a positive impression and the same would apply to someone with bad body odor - we would respond negatively to them. Smells can also revive cherished memories from past experiences and is emotionally evocative such as the scent of crayons for those among us who colored with them in kindergarten.

A light, floral smell tends to improve our ability to learn while the scent of green apples is said to help those who are suffering from bouts of claustrophobia by making a room appear bigger than it actually is. Scented oils and candles with a peppermint smell trigger a sense of fullness after meals.

According to conclusions based on the measuring of blood flow to reproductive areas, men respond sexually to the smell of cinnamon, pumpkin and lavender. Women react very strongly to the smell of black licorice candy, cucumber and ylang ylang but are put off by the scent of cherries and charcoaled grilled meat. So this is probably why barbecues so often end up being a male dominated arena. Fragrances are the quickest way to alter moods. Dr. Hirsch's findings shed new light on so many factors regarding olfactory stimuli but he has also devoted a large portion of time to the simplistics of taste.

Were you aware that your preferences for food speak volumes about your personality? Dr. Hirsch says that our choices can give insight into human behavior and conducted a thorough, detailed study on this in his book "What Flavor Is Your Personality?" A good indication would be to look at what our favorite flavor of ice-cream indicates.

Vanilla Personality : Colorful, at times impulsive, likes to take risks, gregarious, tends to live a hectic life with an overly filled schedule. Easily suggestible, expressive, enjoys close relationship with others, idealistic, sets high goals, a private person, sets high expectations for oneself, most comfortable in a close secure relationship.

Strawberry Personality: : Content to be a follower working behind the scenes. Likes being part of a team.

Coffee Personality : Lively, dramatic, seductive and flirtatious and lives life with gusto. Prefers to live in the moment rather than think about the future.

Chocolate Chip Personality : Generous, a visionary, competitive, a conqueror,accomplished, someone who is on the top,charming in a social situations, enjoys being catered to, a go getter, ambitious, competent, intolerant of defeat, always a winner.

Rocky Road Personality : Charming and engaging in social situations, but driven at work. Can lose temper over life's inconveniences, particularly waiting in line.

The flavor of chocolate itself and the behavior traits associated with it are almost impossible to determine due to the fact that it is ridiculously popular. However once it is broken down into casual specifics, milk chocolate eaters are contemplative and quiet as opposed to dark chocolate gourmands who are extroverted and live louder.

In his other book "What's Your Food Sign?", Dr. Hirsch writes that the food preferences of a couple are enough to indicate as to whether they will be in it for the long term, or if it's an incompatible mess. With reference to the classic taste sensations, a sweet tooth means that you live for the moment while a hankering for anything sour indicates that you are loyal and will stay together with your loved one. Lovers of spicy food are thrill seekers who like being in control and will end a relationship quickly while salt fanatics are introverts who will always try to avoid confrontation.

In a research paper "Snack Food Hedonics And Personality", research points to the following :

        

* Potato-chip lovers are "ambitious, successful high achievers who enjoy the trimmings of their success."

* Tortilla-chip eaters are "humanitarians who are often distressed by inequities and injustices of society."

* Pretzel people are trend-conscious. They "seek novelty" and are "lively, enthusiastic and fun to be with!"

* Cheese-curls adherents are "formal, conscientious and always proper."

* Meat-snack types tend to be "gregarious, generous to a fault" and male. They sacrifice their own comfort to please others.

* Cracker snackers are "contemplative and thoughtful"; they base decisions on "logic rather than emotions." Dr. Hirsch predicts that "those who prefer crackers may easily find themselves romantically involved in an Internet relationship."

These preferences for snack food should not be confused with food cravings which usually indicate a change in the mood state.At different times in the menstrual cycle for example, women crave chocolate especially when they feel mildly dysphoric or restless.

Interesting to note that pizza eaters tend to be perfectionists and even topping choices can tell us a lot. Those who prefer risqué and unconventional toppings like onion and pineapple for example, lean towards being aggressive, achievement oriented, highly competitive and are natural leaders.

Pepperoni enthusiasts are said to be procrastinators who are irritable and argumentative. And the pure meat topping lovers are extroverts who enjoy being the center of attention as well as indulging in healthy bouts of seduction. They also tend to be aware of trends and are fashionable.

Pie connoisseurs who had multiple vegetable topping are loyal, dependable, value friendship and work best in a group dynamic.

Eaters who enjoy buffalo wings are keepers in the romance department. Fruit fans are open minded and optimistic. Coffee drinkers are ambitious yet responsible while black tea imbibers tend to enjoy being homebodies and appreciate serenity. Green tea devotees on the other hand tend to be outgoing and flirtatious. Vanilla patrons gravitate towards other vanilla patrons. The same rings true for potato chip aficionados.

In a widely published study of his, Dr Hirsch addressed the topic "Effects Of Garlic Bread And Family Interactions". The results were interesting to say the least. "Smelling and eating garlic bread decreased the number of negative interactions between family members," the report says, and "the number of pleasant interactions increased." Dr Hirsch reached the conclusion that: "Serving garlic bread at dinner enhanced the quality of family interactions. This has potential application in promoting and maintaining shared family experiences, thus stabilizing the family unit, and also may have utility as an adjunct to family therapy." Research showed that the scent of the garlic bread reduced the percentage of negative interactions by 22.7% and increased the number of pleasant interactions by 7.4%.

While these underlying preferences towards smells and tastes may initially appear a little rudimentary, it would be unrealistic to simply chalk everything up to genetics and fluff. The corollary conclusions that were done under strictly controlled environments, do happen to point towards behavior and particular patterns that would make it, without due consideration, difficult to simply thumb one's nose at. Pun fully intended.