Posted on 06/03/2005 9:10:29 AM PDT by Cagey
LONDON (Reuters) - Driving badly? then ditch the fast food and reach for the mints.
Different odors affect the way motorists drive, with fast food scents likely to increase road rage potential and other smells -- like peppermint -- deemed to improve concentration, the RAC Foundation motoring organization said Friday.
"More than any other sense, the sense of smell circumnavigates the logical part of the brain," the RAC Foundation's consultant psychologist, Conrad King, said.
"This is why the smell of perfume can turn men into gibbering idiots, the smell of baking bread can destroy the best intentions of a dieter and the smell of baby powder can make a child averse individual quite broody," he said in a statement.
The RAC Foundation said it has conducted research into the impact of smells on driving after the release of an odor study by Bryan Raudenbush of the Wheeling Jesuit University, West Virginia in the United States.
King said good odors to have in your vehicle, other than peppermint, include cinnamon, lemon and coffee. A blast of salty sea air can also encourage deep breathing and help relieve stress.
In contrast the smell of fast-food wrappers or fresh bread can cause driver irritability and a tendency to speed because they make drivers fell hungry and in a hurry to satiate their appetites.
Other "dangerous" odors are camomile, jasmine and lavender because they can cause drivers to overrelax or fall asleep. The plants are commonly used to treat insomnia.
For those motorists who might opt for a neutral smelling interior, be warned. Studies of astronauts found an odor-less environment created irritability and even olfactory hallucinations.
Cars of the future are likely to have in-built systems able to detect a driver's mood and react by altering the car's seating, lighting, temperature and even smell. In the meantime motorists are advised to keep a packet of mints handy.
All those mummified french fries under my seat must be the reason.
Jerry: Boy, do you smell something?
Elaine: Do I smell something? What am I, hard of smelling? Of *course* I smell something.
Jerry: What is it?
Elaine: I think it's B.O.!
Jerry: What?
Elaine: It's B.O. The *valet* must have had B.O.
Jerry: It *can't* be. Nobody has B.O. like this.
Elaine: Jerry. It's *B*.*O*.
Jerry: But the whole car smells.
Elaine: So?
Jerry: So when somebody has B.O., the "O" usually stays with the "B". Once the "B" leaves, the "O" goes with it.
I can see supplements to the Twinkie defense coming out of this study. The trial lawyers will love it.
Reuters needs a better editor.
Pingie! I can think of a few other 'bad' odors...
My truck smells like beer, and I'm usually in a pretty good mood.
If this is true, I can't imagine how Michael Moore avoids wrapping himself around a telephone pole every time he drives.
OMG! I was just going to post that exchange...one of the funniest..."WHAT, AM I HARD OF SMELLING???" I say that all the time when someone points out an odor! ROLFMAO!!!
True. Driving past a pig farm makes me try to put the windows up and drive as fast as possible at the same time, while trying to hold my breath.
Is it any wonder this is no laughing matter?
Aromatherapy...really works. Best results...Lavender for relaxation, and Rosemary for anxiety. Works wonders. No Joke. JK
I hope I have time to make a run to the take-out place before someone calls for a ban on fast food in cars.
ROFL!!!!!!!!!
I love the smell of my husband truck - leather and rich, dark tobacco.
My car, on the other hand just reminds you I have an almost 7 year old child :)
There may be something to this *lol*
I get really carsick when not driving. It's amazing what can set that off, even before a trip starts!, just through the conditioning. I find that citrus, mint and ocean smells (I love the ocean!) really do help. I keep a citrus based hand lotion in the glove box.
I love a man who smokes. The combination of after shave and tobacco........can't beat it!
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