Coffee Aroma Stimulates The Brain And Improves Cognitive Processes
The aroma of coffee enchants and stimulates us; besides, nothing can be more comforting than letting ourselves be engulfed by its scent every morning. It’s a pleasure for the senses, the taste buds and also the brain. In fact, a recent study revealed that even its fragrance can motivate us, improve our cognitive processes and even improve our mood.
Most of us have experienced it more than once. Just open the coffee container, be it the box with the classic capsules or the packaging containing the whole bean or already ground, to feel an indefinable olfactory pleasure. We love its aroma, its nuances and the velvety depth that transports us to other warmer and more pleasant places.
These suggestive experiences are originated by him, our wise and always skillful brain, governed by one of the most powerful senses of most living beings: smell. The aroma of coffee travels from the cerebral cortex directly to the limbic system, to regions where emotions and memory share the same circuits, the same routes.
If this coffee fragrance improves our performance, it is not because it gives us any sudden power or ability. We are just talking about emotions and well-being, a simple placebo effect. It is, without a doubt, a very interesting fact.
our brain loves coffee
It is often said that no place is as full of ideas as the inside of a coffee cup. Writers, students, philosophers, and anyone who uses it in the morning use it to wake up or to resist long hours of study or work at night. So, if this drink was Napoleon’s favorite before starting each battle (although his stomach didn’t think the same) it’s not by chance.
Caffeine is one of the alkaloids that please our brain the most. It is a natural stimulant of the nervous system, its effects are noticed after 15 minutes and can last up to 6 hours. It’s sensational, no doubt about it, and it’s all due to its molecular structure. Caffeine is able to block adenosine receptors, molecules that make us sleep or feel tired.
However, there is more. Coffee not only helps us to wake up in the mornings and even to do a little better in our work. In addition, it gives us a pleasant feeling of pleasure, and the responsible for this is neither more nor less than it, dopamine. This neurotransmitter induces us to a very characteristic state of activation, well-being and motivation; of course, it is also responsible for the fact that we sometimes become real coffee addicts…
The aroma of coffee, a resource of great power, but unknown to most
A study published in June of this year in the Journal of Environmental Psychology revealed something really interesting. The aroma of coffee improves our cognitive abilities, that is, it optimizes attention, analysis, problem solving and professional and academic performance in general. It looks like magic, no doubt about it, but it isn’t. However, the author of the study, Dr. Adriana Madzharov, explains something as striking as it is curious: it is a simple placebo effect.
Something that those responsible for this research were able to demonstrate is that it is enough for a room or a room to smell like coffee for 90% of people to feel well. Also, something we already know is that the brain is passionate about coffee. Caffeine stimulates you, generates pleasure and activation. Therefore, simple aroma can also activate all of these processes due to the neuronal pathway that takes place between the cerebral cortex and the limbic system.
The placebo effect has, without a doubt, a great power in the human being. Also, one thing neuromarketing experts suggest is that we often overlook the great effect that smell has on us. We are facing a practically underused brain resource, when in reality it is a direct link to our emotions and memory, an exceptional channel capable of granting us inspiration, calm or activation, in order to improve our attention and introspection, to make us more creative, receptive to the surroundings…
Helen Keller and her relationship with scents
Helen Keller, the famous writer and political activist, lost her senses of sight and hearing at 19 months of age. From this episode, Helen learned very early on to be in tune with scents. Her world took on shapes and nuances, paying attention to every fragrance, every change, every breath of the wind, the earth, the people around her…
The aroma of coffee was also one of her favorites. Thus, faced with a world of darkness and without any sound, his universe became infinite and immensely rich thanks to the power of his sense of smell. This is something that the marketing industry is well aware of and that the world of work and organizations will no doubt begin to take into account. Sometimes, just a vanilla, cinnamon, coffee or chocolate fragrance is enough to improve the well-being and productivity of workers… this is a subject full of possibilities.
