Department of Psychology, Brain, Performance and Nutrition Research Centre, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK.
Hum Psychopharmacol. 2023 Mar;38(2):e2865. doi: 10.1002/hup.2865. Epub 2023 Feb 17.
Aggressive driving is of increasing concern in modern society. This study investigated the potential for the presence of an ambient aroma to reduce aggressive responses in a simulated driving situation. Previous literature has demonstrated the beneficial effect of peppermint (Mentha piperita) aroma on driver alertness and we aimed to identify any impact on aggressive driver behaviour. Fifty volunteers were randomly assigned to one of two conditions (peppermint essential oil aroma and no aroma). Aggressive driving behaviours were measured in a virtual reality driving simulator. The analysis indicated that the peppermint aroma significantly reduced aggressive driving behaviours. The presence of the aroma also produced medium sized effects on some aspects of mood from pre-test levels. These results provide support for the use of ambient aromas for the modification of driving behaviours. It is proposed that applying peppermint into daily driving may be a beneficial for reducing driver aggression.
激进驾驶在现代社会越来越受到关注。本研究调查了环境香气存在的可能性，以减少模拟驾驶情况下的攻击反应。先前的文献已经证明了薄荷（Mentha piperita）香气对驾驶员警觉性的有益影响，我们旨在确定其对攻击性驾驶行为的任何影响。五十名志愿者被随机分配到两种条件之一（薄荷精油香气和无香气）。在虚拟现实驾驶模拟器中测量攻击性驾驶行为。分析表明，薄荷香气显著减少了攻击性驾驶行为。香气的存在也对一些情绪方面产生了中等程度的影响，与预测试水平相比。这些结果为使用环境香气来改变驾驶行为提供了支持。有人提出，在日常驾驶中使用薄荷可能有助于减少驾驶员的攻击性。
