The aroma of coffee we love and stimulate; Besides, nothing is more comforting than immersing yourself in its smell every morning. It is a pleasure for the senses, the palate and also for the brain. In fact, a recent study has found that even its fragrance is able to motivate us, improve. our cognitive processes and even improve our mood.
Most of us have tried it more than once. Just open the coffee container, either the box with the classic capsules or the package containing the whole or already ground grain to feel an indefinable olfactory pleasure, we love its aroma, its nuances and the velvety depth that transports us to others warmer and more. nice places.
- “Among the many luxuries of the table.
- Coffee can be considered one of the most precious.
- Does he contemplate the joy without intoxication.
- And the pleasant flow of encouragement he brings is never followed by sadness.
- Languor or weakness?-Benjamin Franklin-.
These suggestive experiences come from him, our wise and always skillful brain, ruled by one of the most powerful senses of most living beings: smell. The aroma of coffee travels from the cerebral cortex directly to the limbic system, to regions where emotions and memory. they share the same circuits, the same routes.
If this aroma of coffee improves our performance is not because it gives us a sudden power or skill, we are talking only about emotions and well-being, a simple placebo effect, this is undoubtedly a very interesting fact.
It is often said that no place is as full of ideas as the inside of a cup of coffee, writers, students, philosophers and all those who use it in the morning use it to wake up or resist long hours of study or night work. So if this drink was Napoleon’s favorite before starting each battle (although his stomach doesn’t think so) it’s no coincidence.
Caffeine is one of the most popular alkaloids in our brain, it is a natural stimulant of the nervous system, its effects are perceived at 15 minutes and can last up to 6 hours, it is somewhat sensational, there is no doubt, and it is all due to its molecular structure, caffeine is able to block adenosine receptors, molecules that induce sleep or tiredness.
However, there is even more. Coffee not only helps us wake up in the morning and even improve our work a little, it also gives us a pleasant feeling of pleasure, and the one responsible is neither more nor less than him, dopamine, a neurotransmitter that induces us. to a very characteristic state of activation, well-being and motivation; Of course, are you also responsible for the fact that we sometimes become true coffee addicts?
A study published in June this year in the Journal of Environmental Psychology revealed something really interesting: the aroma of coffee improves our cognitive skills, that is, optimizes attention, the ability to analyze, solve problems and professional and academic performance in general. Sounds like magic, that’s for sure, but it’s not. However, the study’s author, Dr. Adriana Madzharov, explains something as striking as it is curious: it is a simple placebo effect.
“Coffee is a balm for the heart and mind. “Giuseppe Verdi-
What those responsible for this research have been able to prove is that it only takes one room or a room to smell coffee to make 90% of people feel good, and we already know that the brain is passionate about coffee. Caffeine stimulates you, generates pleasure and activation, so the simple aroma can also activate all these processes by the neural path that occurs between the cerebral cortex and the limbic system.
The placebo effect certainly has great power in humans, besides what neuromarketing experts suggest is that we often overlook the great effect that smell has on us, we find ourselves facing a practically underutilized brain resource, when in fact it is a direct link with our emotions and memory, an exceptional channel capable of giving us inspiration , calm or activation, to improve our attention and introspection, to make us more creative, receptive to the environment?
Helen Keller, the celebrated writer and political activist, lost her sight and hearing at the age of 19 months. From this episode, Helen learned very early to tune in to the aromas. Has it acquired shapes and nuances of your world, paying attention to every perfume, every change, every breath of the wind, the earth, the people around you?
The aroma of coffee was also a favorite. Thus, faced with a world without darkness and without any sound, his universe has become infinite and immensely rich thanks to the power of smell, something with which the marketing industry is familiar and that the world of work and organizations will probably begin to understand. . Sometimes a scent of vanilla, cinnamon, coffee or chocolate is enough to improve the well-being and productivity of workers, it is a subject full of possibilities.