Breathe in bliss

It’s no secret that spending time in nature is relaxing, but it turns out it’s the scent that’s most calming. In a study in the journal Scientific Reports, 154 people experienced the sights, sounds and aromas of a city, park or forest and rated how pleasant they found each. When subjects were made to feel stressed, the forest and park were the most relaxing. And smell was the strongest predictor of how well they handled the stress. Other research shows that scent is different from sight and sound in that it travels from your nose directly to the brain region that’s involved in the stress response, inducing instant calm.