The Psychology Of Smell

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I've got a shameful secret.

My mouth salivates when I walk past Subway.

I know the food is dire, the lettuce is plastic, and the bread is like a sponge.

Yet I can't help but feel an urge to go in.

After reading Consumerology¹, I think I've learnt why.

The Psychology of Smell

You'll smell a Subway before you see it.

The yeasty, sweet, toasty smell is pumped out onto the street.

And I think it's on purpose.

Just looking at this image reminds me of the smell.

In fact, studies suggest that smells too faint to consciously detect influence us.

Researchers at Northwestern University² asked students to sniff three scents at such low concentrations that the students were unaware of having smelled anything.

Next, the students were shown a picture of a face with a neutral expression and asked to judge its likability.

It turns out that the type of smell influences likability.

Two real-world examples

Nike shoe sales

Researchers purchased a brand new pair of Nike running shoes.

They were placed in one of two rooms:

A room flooded with a light floral smell
An identical room with no smell

Those in the flower-scented room said they were 84% more likely to buy.*

Casino slot machines

In another study cited in Consumerology, researchers pumped a similar scent into one part of a casino.

Those who gambled in that specific part of the casino gambled 45% more.

I no longer feel so ashamed about my Subway secret.

Smells affect all of us, even if we're not consciously aware.

Phill

¹Graves, P. (2010). Consumer.ology: The market research myth, the truth about consumers, and the psychology of shopping. Nicholas Brealey Publishing.

²Li, W., Moallem, I., Paller, K.A. & Gottfried, J.A. (2007) Subliminal smells can guide social preferences, Psychological Science, 18(12): 1044-9.”

*I strongly doubt a smell could have that big of an effect. And I doubt you could replicate it at your own company.

As a behavioural science practitioner, I believe in the peak-end rule.

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