Smells can do a number on you brain

Alan Hirsch, the founder and neurological director of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation, a Chicago- based organization that studies the effects of scents asserts that smell can change a person’s perception of her surroundings. Here are a few more of his “functional fragrance” suggestions:

To Make The Room Bigger:
The smell of cucumber creates a subconscious perception that surroundings are more spacious than they are.

To Add Homeyness:
Want guests to feel welcome? Vanilla elicits “a feeling of safety and comfort” Baking cookies or bread works, he says, since most people associate baking smells with positive memories from childhood.

To Suppress the munchies:
If you tend to nibble as you cook, a peppermint scent in the kitchen will curb your urge to nosh, Hirsch says. Not mad about mint? Banana also does the trick.

To fire up your work-out:
Strawberries is the scent to turn to if you want an energy boost while exercising.

To get smart:
Once you’ve outfitted your home office with a flat-panel computer monitor and a powerful modem, add a bouquet. Says Hirsch, “We found a mixed floral smell increases learning speed”

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