Goel Namni, Grasso Damion J
Department of Psychology, 207 High St., Judd Hall, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT 06459, USA.
Chronobiol Int. 2004 Jul;21(4-5):691-719. doi: 10.1081/cbi-200025989.
Odor performance varies by clinical state and gender, though little is known about its variation by season or time of day. Many odors, including lavender, induce transient mood changes. This study explored discrimination differences between various lavender oil blends and their effects on transient mood in the morning and evening in depressed and nondepressed adults. We also determined seasonal influences on these measures. A total of 169 subjects, 98 women and 71 men (mean age +/- SD, 19.3 +/- 1.6 y) participated, with different subjects studied at different times of the year. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) classified subjects as depressed (score > or =10; N= 57) or nondepressed (score <10; N= 112). In the discrimination test, subjects compared pairs of two different lavender oil blends or a control. Transient change in mood was assessed by the Profile of Mood States (POMS) after each trial of five lavender blends interspersed by three control odors. Tests were conducted in the morning (08:00-10:00 h) and evening (18:00-20:00h). In all subjects, discrimination was significantly better for some odor pairs than for others, thus demonstrating test specificity. Discrimination was better overall in the fall than winter/spring and better in depressed than nondepressed subjects for specific odor pairs. No significant gender or time-of-day differences in discriminability were detected. There were, however, significant group differences in transient mood profiles. Current depressed state affected mood response, with lavender increasing anger in depressed subjects only. In addition, depressed subjects and men, whether or not depressed, exhibited diurnal mood variation, with better mood in the evening; the former group also showed more evening energy. All subjects were more confused in the morning than evening. Season also affected transient mood; winter/spring-tested subjects reported more vigor than fall-tested subjects. In addition, summer-tested subjects showed more tension in the morning, whereas fall-tested subjects showed the opposite pattern in the evening. In all subjects, lavender increased fatigue, tension, confusion, and total mood disturbance, and it decreased vigor. The study showed that both chronobiological (seasonal and time-of-day) and clinical factors modify discrimination and mood response to odors. Brief lavender odor presentation may serve as a nonphotic method for altering mood in young depressed and nondepressed adults particularly during the fall, a time of heightened discriminability.
气味表现因临床状态和性别而异，不过关于其随季节或一天中不同时间的变化情况却知之甚少。许多气味，包括薰衣草味，都会引起短暂的情绪变化。本研究探讨了不同薰衣草油混合剂之间的辨别差异及其对抑郁和非抑郁成年人早晚短暂情绪的影响。我们还确定了季节对这些指标的影响。共有169名受试者参与，其中98名女性和71名男性（平均年龄±标准差，19.3±1.6岁），在一年中的不同时间研究不同的受试者。贝克抑郁量表（BDI）将受试者分为抑郁（得分≥10；N = 57）或非抑郁（得分＜10；N = 112）。在辨别测试中，受试者比较两种不同薰衣草油混合剂或一种对照的配对。在穿插三种对照气味的五种薰衣草混合剂的每次试验后，通过情绪状态剖面图（POMS）评估情绪的短暂变化。测试在上午（08:00 - 10:00）和晚上（18:00 - 20:00）进行。在所有受试者中，某些气味配对的辨别能力明显优于其他配对，从而证明了测试的特异性。总体而言，秋季的辨别能力比冬季/春季更好，对于特定气味配对，抑郁受试者的辨别能力比非抑郁受试者更好。未检测到辨别能力在性别或一天中不同时间上的显著差异。然而，在短暂情绪剖面图方面存在显著的组间差异。当前的抑郁状态会影响情绪反应，薰衣草只会增加抑郁受试者的愤怒情绪。此外，抑郁受试者以及男性，无论是否抑郁，都表现出昼夜情绪变化，晚上情绪更好；前一组在晚上也表现出更有活力。所有受试者在上午比晚上更困惑。季节也会影响短暂情绪；在冬季/春季接受测试的受试者报告的活力比在秋季接受测试的受试者更多。此外，在夏季接受测试的受试者上午表现出更多紧张情绪，而在秋季接受测试的受试者晚上则呈现相反的模式。在所有受试者中，薰衣草会增加疲劳、紧张、困惑和总体情绪困扰，同时会降低活力。该研究表明，时间生物学因素（季节和一天中的时间）以及临床因素都会改变对气味的辨别和情绪反应。短暂呈现薰衣草气味可能是一种改变年轻抑郁和非抑郁成年人情绪的非光控方法，尤其是在秋季，这是一个辨别能力增强的时期。
