I've been looking forward to Rachel Herz' book for a long time. I found out about her work on the psychology of smell several years ago, and although I never got around to reading her academic work (published in reputable journals like the American Journal of Psychology and Chemical Senses), I did keep track of her frequent interviews in the popular media. The Scent of Desire is her first book, and tackles a wide range of questions on the relation between emotion and olfaction. From odor-emotional conditioning and olfactive memory to cultural differences in odor familiarity, Herz explains how odors influence our social relationships and mental health.
Smell is both a detector of danger, and a vehicle of desire. As the title suggests, The Scent of Desire is primarily focused on the latter. The author's basic premise is that emotional experience and the sense of smell are fundamentally interconnected: "emotions are to us what scents are to our animal cousins. Smell for animals informs survival in direct and explicit ways; for us its primary survival codes have been transformed, into our experience of emotions" (pp.14-15). Herz merges this Darwinistic perspective with the assumption that our aroma preferences are learned; to illustrate this point, she refers to experimental studies with infants and adults.
Research shows that children are largely indifferent to scents until the age of 8, and that they learn to like the odor of their environment. Perhaps a reassuring conclusion to the author herself, who as a child wondered why she was the only one to love the smell of skunk. But opposed odor preferences are widespread among adults too: as an example, Herz mentions the likes and dislikes of the wintergreen aroma in the US and Britain, where they are associated, respectively, with chewing gum and a medicine from World War II.
Herz promotes the idea that fragrances can help in overcoming anxieties, although she makes it clear that therapies such as systematic desensitization are only partially effective. She also offers practical suggestions for memorizing information: if you're preparing for an exam, for instance, it helps to have an unusual or unfamiliar fragrance with you that you can also take to your test. Just make sure to use different scents in case you're preparing for different exams: you might end up mixing information, and find yourself "thinking of speed limits when you should be remembering rates for asymptotes". (p.85)
I found the first half of the book very informative; insights in psychology and neuroscience are mixed with the odd anecdote, and even a (highly speculative) hypothesis on how anosmia contributed to the untimely death of INXS-lead singer Michael Hutchence. I was fascinated by the author's assertion that olfactive memories are just as good, but not better than recollections linked to other senses. What is distinctive about them is their closeness to emotionality; that said, it's easy to confuse emotional intensity with accuracy:
The emotional potency of odor-evoked memory leads to the false impression that these memories are especially true, and that odors are superior reminders of our past experiences. (p. 69)
In the second half of the book the focus shifts to sensuality, cravings and comfort smells. Aside from the new smell technologies that will change our daily lives in the near future (especially in the realm of security, a hot topic these days), I'm afraid I got a little bored at this point. What is said here can be found in other popular science books as well.
With its roots firmly planted in evolutionary psychology, The Scent of Desire shares much common ground with Piet Vroon's book Smell: The Secret Seducer (1994); to my great surprise, however, Herz makes no reference to the latter at all. I find this omission regrettable, given the obvious parallels between the authors' approach towards the subject-matter (not to mention the blatant similarity between the book titles). Contrary to what the publisher's blurb suggests, The Scent of Desire is not the first work on the psychology of smell, and it certainly doesn't qualify as the "definitive work", as I'm sure the author would plainly admit herself. That said, it's a well-researched and accessible read, and a welcome replacement for Vroon's rather outdated book.
Dr. Rachel Herz is a Visiting Assistant Professor at Brown University, and works as a consultant on the psychology and neuroscience of aromachemical perception. She developed a line of "mood-enhancing" fragrances trademarked under the name Scentology.
The Scent of Desire: Discovering Our Enigmatic Sense of Smell
New York: William Morrow / Harper Collins (2007)
Hardcover, 266 pages
See also: link to a radio interview with Rachel Herz.
I might also have expected this author (and friend) to reference my book “The Scent of Eros: Mysteries of Odor in Human Sexuality” (1995 & 2002), had she not refused to read it until after her book was in press. Rarely have I met people like Rachel, whose personal and professional integrity are far above the norms established by the “publish or perish” demands of academia. After refusing the free copy of my book that I offered her a few years ago, with the explanation that she was writing one of her own, she asked me for it when last we met at an April 2007 olfactory conference luncheon–after her book was “in press.”
James V. Kohl
http://www.scentoferos.com
James, thank you for your comment, and I hope I'm not misinterpreting it. I think that refusing to read a fellow researcher's book for the reason you mentioned is in itself objectionable… but more importantly, I don't understand why a scientist would do that. Are you still on speaking terms with Ms. Herz?
I should have made it more clear that I have the utmost respect for Rachel's refussal to read my book prior to completion of her own. It seems counterintuitive to outside observers. Within research circles, however, there is always the likelihood that you will glean information from the work of others; forget where the information came from, and inadvertently say something very similar to what someone else said/wrote. Rachel was merely trying to avoid this type of problem by not reading my book., until she had finished writing hers.
In contrast, Michelle Kodis wrote a book that plagerized my work extensively. Thirty eight pages of her book were simply re-wording of what I'd already written. When I contacted her publisher about this, I was stone-walled, of course. I had my publisher contact hers, and they replied that since we researched the same topic, there was bound to be some duplication. That might have held up it court–with the exception of a case borrowed from my book that she presented as a fact she found “somewhere else.” That fact came directly from a student to her professor, my co-author–and was never made known to anyone prior to my book's publication. My co-author said this happens all the time, so I let it drop. It's still very frustrating, however, and many others have borrowed heavily from my works during the past decade with no acknowledgement of their information source..
Michelle Kodis and I never met, and are unlikely to ever meet. I see Rachel, my friend, about once each year. As you may know, she is well-repected by her colleagues in research. Next time I talk to her, we will be able to more freely discuss our mutual perspectives and writings, which is great for our ongoing friendship and for our professional interests.
I'm glad you made that point clear for me, James. And I'm sorry to hear about the plagiarism. What applies for researchers in the academic field should apply to popular science authors too: give credit where credit is due!
At http://www.attractant.co.uk you can see how any unscrupulous marketer can manipulate public perception of the concept of human pheromones. Even a google search on my book title: “The Scent of Eros” (and name of my pheromone-enhanced product line) may lead you to them, where you see:
Give them a try… let “the scent of eros” change your life!…
This is what you are also up against as you continue to do your research. Companies like this have bastardized the concept of human pheromones to the degree that a general audience–bombarded with ridiculous claims–might take no further interest in the scientifically established link between human pheromones and behavior. When you acheive scientific success, your reputation may suffer because others steal anything they can steal from you and misrepresent it to make money.
Time spent on patents, trademarks, and copyright protection deters from research efforts, and ensure you will spend time and money on court proceedings; it does not prevent others from the profitable theft of your work.