Get a whiff of this

Next time you need a brain boost, sniff a cup of coffee.

Yes, sniff. Simply inhaling the aroma appears to jump-start our cognitive power, suggests a new study in the Journal of Environmental Psychology. Participants who took an exam in a room that smelled like coffee scored significantly higher than those tested in an unscented room. Researchers believe the brain buzz is due to the placebo effect. In other words, we associate the smell with the jolt we get from drinking it, explains study co-author Dr Adriana Madzharov.