Research reveals sense of smell alters our perception of colours

Our sense of smell plays a crucial role in processing the world around us. This article explores how our sense of smell impacts our perception of colours

To make sense of this sensory overload, our brain combines inputs from various reasons, including smell, touch, sound, and sight.

These intricate sensory integrations lead us to associate colours, temperatures, and flavours with specific scents.

A recent study in Frontiers in Psychology sheds light on how our sense of smell can significantly influence our perception of colours.

Sense of smell alters our perception of colours

Dr Ryan Ward, a senior lecturer at Liverpool John Moores University, led a study to explore the impact of odours on our perception of colours. In their experiment, 24 adult participants, ranging from 20 to 57 years old, were placed in a sensory-deprived room.

The room lacked sensory distractions, and participants refrained from using deodorants or perfumes.

The researchers cleared the room of all ambient odours using an air purifier before introducing one of six odours: caramel, cherry, coffee, lemon, peppermint, and odourless water (as a control).

Previous research showed that these odours are commonly associated with specific colours.

Colour perception and sense of smell

Participants faced a screen displaying a square filled with a random colour and were asked to adjust sliders for yellow to blue and green to red to neutralise the colour, making it grey.

Surprisingly, when exposed to different odours, participants consistently deviated from perceiving true neutral grey. For example, the scent of coffee led them to perceive ‘grey’ as a reddish-brown colour, while the smell of caramel made them see a bluish hue as grey.

However, peppermint was an exception to this pattern, where participants’ colour perception remained true to neutral grey.

These findings indicate that our sense of smell can distort our perception of colours in predictable ways.

Uncovering the power of crossmodal associations

This study highlights the powerful influence of crossmodal associations in how we process sensory information.

Crossmodal associations, in this case between odours and colours, can lead us to perceive colours differently than they are. This phenomenon suggests that our senses are intricately interconnected, and our brain constantly combines their inputs to shape our perception of the world.

Questions between smell and colour perception

While this study provides valuable insights into the connection between smell and colour perception, it raises further questions.

Researchers are eager to explore the extent to which odours can influence colour perception, especially with less familiar or unfamiliar scents.

Understanding the depth of these crossmodal associations could reveal even more about the complex interplay of our senses in shaping our perception of the world around us.