Paper Title
Sexual fantasy, women, and fragrance
Keywords
- Sexual Fantasy
- Women
- Fragrance
- Sexual Response
- Sensuality
- Mood
- Menstrual Cycle
- Sexual Arousal
- Sense of Smell
- Perfume
- Cologne
- Erotic Film
- Olfactory Cues
- Postmenstrual Phase
- Ovulation
- Self-Reported Arousal
- Physiological Measures
- Sexual Health
- Sexual Experience
- Scented Necklaces
- Gender Differences
- Olfactory Research
- Psychological Responses
- Sexual Stimuli
Journal
Publication Info
Volume: VII | Issue: 2 | Pages: 1-6
Published On
January, 1998
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Abstract
There is very little in the way of scientific research on the role of fragrance in sexual response in women. The aim of our study was to explore the effects of fragrance on sensuality and mood in women at different phases of the menstrual cycle. The study consisted of a laboratorybased experiment in which women wore scented "necklaces" as they observed a sexually erotic film, a sexually neutral film, or fantasized about pleasant sexual experiences. There were three different fragrance conditions: female perfume (an aldehydic floral type), male cologne (a fresh fougere type), and a "blank" or control substance. Previous research had suggested that both sexual arousal and sense of smell might fluctuate over the menstrual cycle. We tested women at two different phases of their cycle: during the postmenstrual phase, and around the time of ovulation (mid-cycle). Both self-reported and physiological measures of sexual arousal and mood were used. Self-reported sexual arousal and mood were measured using brief associate the smell of paint with the danger of injury. It has been proposed that the way in which we acquire our subjective responses to smells is through associations with personal experience and the conditioning and modeling of cultural norms (Engen, 1982; 1988; Herz & Engen, 1996). This produces general agreement for the perceived pleasantness or unpleasantness of many odors within a culture, but also accounts for individual differences on the basis of idiosyncratic experiences.
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