RU stressed?: the physical and psychological effects of odor exposure and writing about stressful experiences

People are constantly exposed to sources of stress. Stress has been shown to affect physical and psychological health. Recent research has demonstrated that writing about stressful events can improve physical and psychological health. Another line of research has shown that odors can have a calming effect and can influence emotions and the way people think and write. This study compared the effects of expressive writing alone and expressive writing with odor exposure on the cognitive and emotional content of narratives about stressful aspects of college life, as well as on physical and psychological health. One hundred and twenty participants were randomly assigned to one of three treatment conditions: One group wrote about neutral topics, the second group wrote about a stressful aspect of their academic life, and the third group also wrote about a stressful aspect of their academic life but was exposed to an ambient room odor while writing. Results showed that exposure to odors may facilitate emotional expression while writing about stressful events, may improve moods, and provide long-term benefits.Ph.D.Includes bibliographical referencesIncludes vitaby Kenia M. Castellano