Read the following passage. Decide whether the statements from 7 to 10 are True or False and choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D) to complete the statements in the questions 11 and 12.
Although there is convincing evidence that pleasant fragrances can improve our mood and sense of well-being, some of these findings should be viewed with caution. Recent studies have shown that our expectations about an odour, rather than any direct effects of exposure to it, may sometimes be responsible for the mood and health benefits reported. In one experiment, researchers found that just telling subjects that a pleasant or unpleasant odour was being administered, which they might not be able to smell, altered their self-reports of mood and well-being. The mere mention of a positive odour reduced reports of symptoms related to poor health and increased reports of positive mood!
More reliable results have been obtained, however, from experiments using placebos (odourless sprays). Although the subjects do respond to some extent to odourless placebos which they think are fragrances, the effect of the real thing is significantly greater. The thought of pleasant fragrances can be enough to make us a bit more cheerful, but the actual smell can have dramatic effects in improving our mood and sense of well-being.
The positive emotional effects of pleasant scents also affect our perceptions of other people. Those who are exposed to pleasant fragrances tend to give higher “attractiveness ratings” to people in photographs, although these effects are only significant where there is some ambiguity in the pictures. If a person is clearly outstandingly beautiful, or extremely ugly, fragrance does not affect our judgement. But if the person is just ‘average’, a pleasant fragrance will tip the balance of our evaluation in his or her favour. So, the beautiful models used to advertise perfume probably have no need of it, but the rest of us ordinary mortals might well benefit from a spray or two of something pleasant. Beauty is in the “nose” of the beholder.
