{"id":20393,"date":"2025-09-28T08:00:12","date_gmt":"2025-09-28T12:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/metabolic\/en\/?p=20393"},"modified":"2025-09-28T09:51:43","modified_gmt":"2025-09-28T13:51:43","slug":"new-study-reveals-how-certain-scents-can-alter-your-behavior","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/metabolic\/en\/psychology\/miscellany-and-curiosities\/new-study-reveals-how-certain-scents-can-alter-your-behavior-20393\/","title":{"rendered":"New study reveals how certain scents can alter your behavior"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Our <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/metabolic\/en\/psychology\/miscellany-and-curiosities\/did-you-know-these-two-brain-regions-may-decide-whether-you-persevere-or-give-up-19253\/\">brain<\/a><\/strong> constantly<strong> makes decisions shaped by scents and behavior<\/strong>, relying on both direct and indirect associations. While some links are obvious, others form in ways that aren\u2019t immediately visible, influencing choices in surprising ways. Mistakes in these associations can even alter how we react to familiar experiences.<\/p>\n<p>A new investigation by the Cellular Mechanisms in Physiological and Pathological Behavior Research Group at the Hospital del Mar Research Institute explores <strong>how these indirect associations work<\/strong>. By testing mice in different scenarios, the researchers uncovered the brain mechanisms that allow an unrelated event to change later decisions and reactions.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_76 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Contenido<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/metabolic\/en\/psychology\/miscellany-and-curiosities\/new-study-reveals-how-certain-scents-can-alter-your-behavior-20393\/#How_scents_create_indirect_links_in_the_brain\" >How scents create indirect links in the brain<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/metabolic\/en\/psychology\/miscellany-and-curiosities\/new-study-reveals-how-certain-scents-can-alter-your-behavior-20393\/#The_role_of_the_amygdala\" >The role of the amygdala<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/metabolic\/en\/psychology\/miscellany-and-curiosities\/new-study-reveals-how-certain-scents-can-alter-your-behavior-20393\/#What_this_means_for_human_behavior\" >What this means for human behavior<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_scents_create_indirect_links_in_the_brain\"><\/span>How scents create indirect links in the brain<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In the <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/Cellular Mechanisms in Physiological and Pathological Behavior Research Group\">study published in PNAS<\/a><\/strong> by the Hospital del Mar Research Institute, mice were trained to associate one smell\u2014banana\u2014with a sweet taste, and another smell\u2014almond\u2014with a salty taste. Later, a negative stimulus was linked to the banana smell. From that point on, the animals rejected the sweet taste, even though it had not been paired directly with anything unpleasant.<\/p>\n<p>This shift revealed that the brain had formed an indirect association: the <strong>sweet taste became connected to the negative experience<\/strong> through its link with the banana scent. As Dr. Arnau Busquets, supervisor of the research, explained, the project aimed to show how the brain enables decisions based not only on obvious links but also on subtle relationships between stimuli.<\/p>\n<p>The experiment highlighted <strong>how powerful sensory cues like scents can be in shaping behavior<\/strong>. Even when the connection is indirect, the brain adapts decisions by reinterpreting past experiences. This mechanism demonstrates why environmental signals can have such a strong effect on choices and emotional responses.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_role_of_the_amygdala\"><\/span>The role of the amygdala<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>To identify which brain regions made these associations possible, researchers used genetic techniques delivered through viral vectors. These methods allowed them to monitor brain activity during the learning and consolidation phases. The results pointed directly to the amygdala, a<strong> region tied to fear, <a href=\"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/metabolic\/en\/psychology\/emotions-and-mental-health\/the-phrase-that-calms-anxiety-in-seconds-and-always-works-according-to-psychologists-18663\/\">anxiety<\/a>, and emotional memory.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>When the mice linked smells and tastes, the <strong>amygdala showed strong activation<\/strong>. Additional imaging revealed that other brain areas also participated, forming a circuit that connected with parts of the cerebral cortex. This network enabled the storage and retrieval of indirect associations.<\/p>\n<p>The team confirmed the amygdala\u2019s key role by <strong>inhibiting its activity while the animals were exposed to the stimuli<\/strong>. When the amygdala was silenced, the mice were unable to form new indirect connections, proving that this region is essential for the process.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_this_means_for_human_behavior\"><\/span>What this means for human behavior<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Although the research was carried out on mice, the<strong> findings may also apply to humans<\/strong>. Dr. Busquets noted that the brain circuits involved in these decisions are thought to be similar across species. If confirmed, the results could have major implications for mental health research and treatment.<\/p>\n<p>Indirect associations influence how people respond to everyday experiences, but when they malfunction, they can <strong>contribute to psychological disorders<\/strong>. For example, in conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or psychosis, faulty associations can distort how stimuli are perceived, reinforcing negative patterns of thought and behavior.<\/p>\n<p>By understanding the brain circuits behind these processes, scientists may be able to <strong>design new therapies.<\/strong> Future approaches could involve brain stimulation or modulation of activity in the amygdala and connected cortical regions. Such strategies might help patients rebuild healthier associations, reducing the weight of harmful memories or distorted links.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Our brain constantly makes decisions shaped by scents and behavior, relying on both direct and indirect associations. While some links are obvious, others form in ways that aren\u2019t immediately visible, influencing choices in surprising ways. Mistakes in these associations can even alter how we react to familiar experiences. A new investigation by the Cellular Mechanisms &#8230; <a title=\"New study reveals how certain scents can alter your behavior\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/metabolic\/en\/psychology\/miscellany-and-curiosities\/new-study-reveals-how-certain-scents-can-alter-your-behavior-20393\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about New study reveals how certain scents can alter your behavior\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":20396,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20393","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-miscellany-and-curiosities"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/metabolic\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20393","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/metabolic\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/metabolic\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/metabolic\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/metabolic\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20393"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/metabolic\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20393\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20397,"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/metabolic\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20393\/revisions\/20397"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/metabolic\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20396"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/metabolic\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/metabolic\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/metabolic\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}