Studies have found that certain clothes can affect visual perception of a person’s weight, but few if any have investigated the effect of other senses on weight perception. Dr. Hirsch and his team initiated a test to see if perception of body weight could be affected by scent.
Among the men tested, neither odor 1 (citrus floral) nor odor 2 (sweet pea & lily of the valley) seemed to affect their perception of weight. However, odor 3 (floral and spice) reduced their perception of the woman’s weight by an average of 4.1 pounds. Further, those men who found the floral and spice odor to be pleasant perceived the woman to be a full 12 pounds less than her actual weight.
Dr. Hirsch and his researchers suspect that certain odors may in fact cause multiple, subtle changes in both the wearer’s and the observers’ perception of reality.
Dr. Hirsch says that while the benefit of a lower perceived weight may seem to offer nominal health value, he points out that when women perceive themselves as leaner than they actually are, or are perceived to weigh less by others, they tend to be more socially active and confident, which may, in turn, lead to further participation in healthy activities such as exercise and socialization.
