Writer-actor-producer John Owen Lowe is beyond proud of graduating from Stanford University in 2018 with a degree in science, technology and society. So much so that the prestigious university gets a shout-out in his Instagram bio. “I worked so damn hard to get there,” Lowe, 29, tells Alexa. “SAT prep, GPA, AP classes … the… … Read more
Catch a whiff of this. Research from Cornell University has found that women could accurately determine if they would like someone based on their smell before even meeting them. “People take a lot in when they’re meeting face to face. But scent — which people are registering at some level, though probably not consciously — … Read more
In “Perfume: The Story of a Murderer,” Aries novelist Patrick Süskind writes of the absolute power of fragrance. “People could close their eyes to greatness, to horrors, to beauty, and their ears to melodies or deceiving words. But they couldn’t escape scent. For scent was a brother of breath,” he pens. “Together with breath it … Read more
It was kept under wraps for thousands of years. Scientists have managed to identify and re-create the scent of a tincture used in an elaborate mummification of a noblewoman of ancient Egypt circa 1450 BCE. The not-so-gnarly balm was made of “beeswax, plant oil, fats, bitumen, Pinaceae resins, a balsamic substance, and dammar or Pistacia tree resin,” … Read more
You’ll go coconuts for this news. A study published in the iScience journal Wednesday explored how different soaps repel mosquitoes, concluding that coconut could be the magic scent that keeps the pesky insects away. “Everybody smells different, even after the application of soap; your physiological status, the way you live, what you eat, and the … Read more
If you suffer from bad road rage, there might be a cure — in the form of an air freshener. A recent study published in Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical & Experiment found that the scent of peppermint oil can reduce aggressive driving behaviors. Researchers from Northumbria University suggested that those who experience negative emotions such as … Read more
Snuff out stress by sniffing these scents, a new study suggests. Researchers in Iran concluded that the habit can effectively reduce job stress in an experiment that analyzed the aromas’ impact on nurses. It’s great news for proponents of the healing effects of essential oils, who swear by these fix-all elixirs. The oils have soared … Read more