Brain imaging studies show that unpleasant and pleasant odors also activate different brain areas in asymmetric ways. The affective response to odors is typically characterized by its valence (pleasantness or hedonic tone) and arousal, while both dimensions are mediated by different neural substrates. These affective responses mediate our perception of environmental input and can adapt our output, thus enabling us to respond in an appropriate way. Odors can effectively elicit affective responses, probably due to the high degree of overlap and connectivity between the neural systems mediating olfaction and emotion. Future studies should also include other factors that are known to influence odor appraisal, such as age, gender, personality, and culture. This study is a first step towards an integral study of the affective appraisal of odors through network analysis. T is only affected by BV and has no effect on other variables. Intensity (I) has the largest impact on the affective appraisal of unpleasant odors, while F significantly contributes to the appraisal of pleasant odors. However, there are also relations that do not emerge (between BA and V, BV and I, and T and I) or that appear with a different polarity (the relation between F and A for pleasant odors). Several relations that have previously been reported in the literature also emerge in both models (the relations between F and I, F and V, I and A I and V, BV and T). Analyzing the results for pleasant and unpleasant odors separately, we obtained two models through network analysis. Also, we measured the baseline affective state (valence and arousal: BV and BA) and odor detection threshold of the participants. We therefore performed an observer experiment in which participants (N = 52) smelled 40 different odors (varying widely in hedonic valence) and reported the intensity, familiarity and their affective appraisal (valence and arousal: V and A) for each odor. However, the exact nature of these relations is still largely unknown. In fact, there are probably many areas of use that I cannot foresee,” adds Niedenthal.The affective appraisal of odors is known to depend on their intensity (I), familiarity (F), detection threshold (T), and on the baseline affective state of the observer. “More research is needed, but active scent training can mean a greater chance of rehabilitation for the increasing number of people who have lost their sense of smell. He highlights the interesting collaboration with psychologists who bring to the table a knowledge of about psychophysiological processes. I am often contacted by people asking if I can help them. It is a great loss not to be able to smell. “Post-Covid has shown more than ever before how important the ability to smell is for well-being. A target group to measure this is people who lost their sense of smell after contracting Covid. But Niedenthal finds the main benefit to be in improving people's quality of everyday life. According to the research, it can be used by anyone who works with fragrances, such as chefs or perfumers. The olfactory display can not only contribute to game development. “The possibility to move on from a passive to a more active sense of smell in the game world paves the way for the development of completely new smell-based game mechanics based on the players' movements and judgments,” says Niedenthal. The degree of difficulty can be varied through a competition where you mix different aromas. To illustrate how the innovation can be used, the research group has developed a wine tasting game where the "wine taster" has to correctly guess the aromas in a virtual wine cellar. “You can use any liquid scents in the container,” says Niedenthal. An integrated computer with Wi-Fi enables the control to be connected to other devices. These can be mixed in different ways and directed at the nose with the aid of a fan. The container can hold four scents at any one time. The unique element of the research is that the group found a way to connect a container with scent capsules to hand controls of a fully immersive VR headset, the HTC Vive. The project is an interdisciplinary collaboration between interaction and game researcher Simon Niedenthal at Malmö University, and a research group in psychology at Stockholm University. Post-Covid has shown more than ever before how important the ability to smell is for well-being. The machine – also called an olfactory display – allows you to smell scents in a VR environment, that is, the illusion of being in reality in a computer-simulated environment.
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