Researchers from West Virginia have found that getting a whiff of pleasant odors periodically while driving increases alertness, reduces fatigue, and even lowers drivers' anxiety and frustration.? Increased driver alertness could lead to fewer accidents on the highway and decreased frustration could translate into fewer instances of "road rage," Dr. Bryan Raudenbush from Wheeling Jesuit University told Reuters Health.? The current study builds on previous work by Raudenbush and his colleagues, which suggested that, by stimulating the nervous system, peppermint and cinnamon odors enhance motivation and performance, increase alertness, and decrease fatigue among athletes and clerical office workers.
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With the peppermint scent, fatigue, anxiety, and driver frustration ratings fell significantly, while driver alertness ratings rose impressively.? Smelling cinnamon also made drivers more alert and lowered their levels of frustration. Ratings of "workload" associated with driving also fell with periodic whiffs of cinnamon.
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The research suggests that chewing peppermint or cinnamon gum would produce similar results.? I believe that herbal remedies like peppermint and cinnamon heal the stomach, reduce diabetic risk and enhance I.Q.? I am excited to see what the latest research will tell us about chocolate.? I'm hoping the smell can also be helpful when it's eaten!? ;>)
