Effect of the Fragrance on Concentration

Abstract

This study was designed to clarify whether the fragrance of peppermint oil has the effect of enhancing the concentration by using Psychomotor Vigilance Test (PVT). PVT was applied to the participants (n = 16, female) for 10 min in the room with peppermint oil and without the odor (control). The fragrance of peppermint was allowed to fill the room 10 min before the start of the measurement. The participants were asked to press a response button, located on the right side of the device, as soon as the visual stimuli appeared at random from 2 to 10 s in PVT. Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) was also used for subjective sensation (0, no concentrate at all; 100, concentrate very much). Reaction time (RT) to visual stimulation was measured for evaluation of concentration using PVT. Median of RT was significantly smaller in peppermint oil than that of control. Subjective sensation by VAS also showed significantly high concentration in peppermint oil compared with control. These results indicate that the concentration must increase by smelling the fragrance of peppermint oil. When people get tired during work, it suggests that concentration might improve by smelling the fragrance of peppermint followed by the prevention of human errors.