Woodland smells could ‘help mental health conditions’

AS THE adage goes, a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. And for mental health patients, the aromas of forests and natural parks could even boost wellbeing, according to new research.

The University of Kent carried out a study where 194 participants took part in one of four workshops taking place once per season. Participants visited Sherwood Forest in the morning and Clumber Park in the afternoon for a “woodland scavenger hunt”.

They were asked to jot down their impressions of colours, textures, sounds, shapes and smells, after which they were split up into focus groups to discuss their emotions after visiting the Nottinghamshire woodlands.

The participants were also told to focus on the natural biodiversity of the woodlands, rather than dogs, other people or man-made objects.

The researchers found that smells had different effects depending on the season, as those taking part recorded more feeling on their physical or spiritual wellbeing from certain scents in spring, whereas in summer, smells were linked more to emotional wellbeing.

Those in the study described encountering specific smells, such as an “earthy” aroma, as well as an absence of smell, which was contrasted with living in a city. One said that “there is no smell, so it’s clean, you know”, adding that in urban areas one could smell traffic. While another said that in a big city, there were smells of food or shops “and [having] like sort of a nothing but fresh smell… I think it’s more noticeable”.

Both specific, named smells from the woodland and the absence of scent were found to have positive effects on wellbeing, with one participant stating that “earthy, woody smells” had helped them to feel relaxed.

‘Earthy, woody smells play an important role in delivering wellbeing from interacting with nature’

The researchers said that the findings showed that non-pharmacological smell therapy interventions, using woodland visits, “could therefore benefit individuals with a wide range of mental health conditions”.

They added: “Smells play an important role in delivering wellbeing [from] interacting with nature, and they are unique among the senses in how they are interpreted by the human brain.”

The study was published in the journal