Environment and Behavior

 

Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

Register here to gain access to SAGE's 500+ Journals Online

Click here to sign up for SAGE Journal Email Alerts today!

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Baron, R. A.
Right arrow Articles by Thomley, J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati  
What's this?
Environment and Behavior, Vol. 26, No. 6, 766-784 (1994)
DOI: 10.1177/0013916594266003

A Whiff of Reality

Positive Affect as a Potential Mediator of the Effects of Pleasant Fragrances on Task Performance and Helping

Robert A. Baron, Ph.D.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and American Psychological Association (Divisions 8 and 35)

Jill Thomley

An experiment was conducted to investigate the potential effects of pleasant fragrances on task performance. Participants performed a word formation (anagrams) task under moderate or low stress and in the presence or absence of two different fragrances previously rated as pleasant by a large group of judges. In addition, some participants received a small gift at the start of the experimental session. Results indicated that both exposure to pleasant fragrances and receipt of a small gift significantly increased performance on the anagrams task; moreover, this was true under conditions of moderate as well as low stress. In addition, both exposure to pleasant fragrances and receipt of a small gift increased participants' willingness to help the experimenter by serving as uncompensated volunteers. These results are consistent with an interpretation suggesting that pleasant fragrances can enhance task performance by serving as a source of environmentally generated positive affect.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Chem SensesHome page
D. E. Gaygen and A. Hedge
Effect of Acute Exposure to a Complex Fragrance on Lexical Decision Performance
Chem Senses, October 1, 2008; (2008) bjn057v1.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Chem SensesHome page
S. Chu
Olfactory Conditioning of Positive Performance in Humans
Chem Senses, January 1, 2008; 33(1): 65 - 71.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Lighting Research and TechnologyHome page
G. Newsham and J. Veitch
Lighting quality recommendations for VDT offices: a new method of derivation
Lighting Research and Technology, June 1, 2001; 33(2): 97 - 113.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 Lighting Research and TechnologyHome page
J.A. Veitch and G.R. Newsham
Preferred luminous conditions in open-plan offices: research and practice recommendations
Lighting Research and Technology, January 1, 2000; 32(4): 199 - 212.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 Environment and BehaviorHome page
R. A. Baron and M. J. Kalsher
Effects of a Pleasant Ambient Fragrance on Simulated Driving Performance: The Sweet Smell of... Safety?
Environment and Behavior, July 1, 1998; 30(4): 535 - 552.
[Abstract]

Home page
 Pers Soc Psychol BullHome page
R. A. Baron
The Sweet Smell of... Helping: Effects of Pleasant Ambient Fragrance on Prosocial Behavior in Shopping Malls
Pers Soc Psychol Bull, May 1, 1997; 23(5): 498 - 503.
[Abstract]