Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Proustian Products are Preferred: The Relationship Between Odor-Evoked Memory and Product Evaluation

  • Published:
Chemosensory Perception

Abstract

Introduction

The Proustian memory effect—that fragrances elicit more emotional and evocative memories than other memory cues—is well established. Fragrances also potentiate a variety of psychological states from moods to motivated behavior. Consumer research has shown that pleasant, product-congruent scents enhance product appeal, that products with greater emotional and cognitive involvement are perceived more positively, and that scent can increase recall for product information. However, the effect of Proustian memories on product perception has never been examined. The aim of the present study was to address this issue.

Methods

An extensive pilot test in which the methods for the main experiment were established was first conducted. The main experiment then tested how a product (body lotion) that varied in fragrance pleasantness and Proustian memory potency was perceived.

Results

Data analyses from a nationwide study showed that if the lotion fragrance was perceived as very pleasant, and it evoked potent personal emotional memories, that lotion was liked better and judged to be superior on a variety of functional and emotional attributes than the same lotion whose scent was perceived as equally pleasant but was not experienced as evocative.

Conclusions

Our findings demonstrate that it is the personal potency of Proustian memories evoked by a product’s fragrance, more than the hedonic qualities of the scent per se, that drives product perception and has important implications for the development of scented products.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alba JW, Huchinson JW, Lynch JG (1991) Memory and decision making. In: Roberston TS, Kassarjian HH (eds) Handbook of consumer behavior. Prentice-Hall, New Jersey, pp 1–49

    Google Scholar 

  • Arshamian A, Iannilli E, Gerber JC, Willander J, Persson J, Seo H, & … Larsson M (2013) The functional neuroanatomy of odor-evoked autobiographical memories cued by odors and words. Neuropsychologia 51:123–131

  • Baumgartner H, Sujan M, Bettman JR (1992) Autobiographical memories, affect, and consumer information processing. J Consum Psychol 1:53–82

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cahill L, Babinsky R, Markowitsch HJ, McGaugh JL (1995) The amygdala and emotional memory. Nature 377:295–296

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chebat JC, Michon R (2003) Impact of ambient odors on mall shoppers’ emotions, cognition, and spending: a test of competitive causal theories. J Bus Res 56:529–539

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen D, Dalton P (2005) The effect of emotion and personality on olfactory perception. Chem Senses 30:345–351

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chu S, Downes JJ (2000) Odour-evoked autobiographical memories: psychological investigations of Proustian phenomena. Chem Senses 25:111–116

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cobb-Walgren CJ, Ruble CA, Donthu N (1995) Brand equity, brand preference, and purchase intent. J Advert 24:25–40

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Houwer J, Thomas S, Baeyens F (2001) Associative learning of likes and dislikes: a review of 25 years of research on human evaluative conditioning. Psychol Bull 127:853–869

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Distel H, Ayabe-Kanamura S, Martínez-Gómez M, Schicker I, Kobayakawa T, Saito S, Hudson R (1999) Perception of everyday odors—correlation between intensity, familiarity and strength of hedonic judgement. Chem Senses 24:191–199

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Doty RL, Cameron EL (2009) Sex differences and reproductive hormone influences on human odor perception. Physiol Behav 97:213–228

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Doty RL, Shaman P, Applebaum SL, Giberson R, Siksorski L, Rosenberg L (1984) Smell identification ability: changes with age. Science 226:1441–1443

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Doucé L, Poels K, Janssens W, De Backer C (2013) Smelling the books: the effect of chocolate scent on purchase-related behavior in a bookstore. J Environ Psychol 36:65–69

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eichenbaum H (2001) The hippocampus and declarative memory: cognitive mechanisms and neural codes. Behav Brain Res 127:199–207

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Engen T (1988) The acquisition of odor hedonics. In: van Toller S, Dodd GH (eds) Perfumery: the psychology and biology of fragrance. Chapman & Hall, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Epple G, Herz RS (1999) Ambient odors associated to failure influence cognitive performance in children. Dev Psychobiol 35:103–107

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fiore AM, Yah X, Yoh E (2000) Effects of product display and environmental fragrancing on approach responses and pleasurable experiences. Psychol Mark 17:27–54

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Herz RS (1998) Are odors the best cues to memory? A cross-modal comparison of associative memory stimuli. Ann N Y Acad Sci 855:670–674

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Herz RS (2004) A naturalistic analysis of autobiographical memories triggered by olfactory, visual and auditory stimuli. Chem Senses 29:217–224

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Herz RS (2009) Aromatherapy facts and fictions: a scientific analysis of olfactory effects on mood, physiology and behavior. Int J Neurosci 119:263–290

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Herz RS (2012) Odor memory and the special role of associative learning. In: Zucco GM, Herz RS, Schall B (eds) Olfactory cognition: from perception and memory to environmental odours and neuroscience. John Benjamins Publishing Company, Amsterdam, pp 95–114

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Herz RS, Cupchik GC (1992) An experimental characterization of odor-evoked memories in humans. Chem Senses 17:519–528

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Herz RS, Engen T (1996) Odor memory: review and analysis. Psychon Bull Rev 3:300–313

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Herz RS, Beland SL, Hellerstein M (2004a) Changing odor hedonic perception through emotional associations in humans. Int J Comp Psychol 17:315–339

    Google Scholar 

  • Herz RS, Eliassen JC, Beland SL, Souza T (2004b) Neuroimaging evidence for the emotional potency of odor-evoked memory. Neuropsychologia 42:371–378

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Herz RS, Schankler C, Beland S (2004c) Olfaction, emotion and associative learning: effects on motivated behavior. Motiv Emot 28:363–383

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hofmann W, De Houwer J, Perugini M, Baeyens F, Crombez G (2010) Evaluative conditioning in humans: a meta-analysis. Psychol Bull 136:390–421

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keller KL (1993) Conceptualizing, measuring, and managing customer-based brand equity. J Mark 57:1–22

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krishna A, Lwin MO, Morrin M (2010) Product scent and memory. J Consum Res 37:57–67

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kuroda K, Inoue N, Ito Y, Kubota K, Sugimoto A, Kakuda T et al (2005) Sedative effects of the jasmine tea odor and (R)-(−) linalool one of its major odor components, on autonomic nerve activity and mood states. Eur J Appl Physiol 95:107–114

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Larsson M, Willander J (2009) Autobiographical odor memory. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1170:318–323

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lehrner J, Marwinski G, Lehr S, Johren P, Deecke L (2005) Ambient odors of orange and lavender reduce anxiety and improve mood in a dental office. Physiol Behav 86:92–95

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mattila AS, Wirtz J (2001) Congruency of scent and music as a driver of in-store evaluations and behavior. J Retail 77:273–289

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Proust M (1928) Swann’s way. Modern Library, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Raudenbush B, Corley N, Eppich W (2001) Enhancing athletic performance through the administration of peppermint odor. J Sports Exerc Psychol 23:156–160

    Google Scholar 

  • Raudenbush B, Grayhem R, Sears T, Wilson I (2009) Effects of peppermint and cinnamon odor administration on simulated driving alertness, mood and workload. N Am J Psychol 11:245–256

    Google Scholar 

  • Rubin DC, Groth E, Goldsmith DJ (1984) Olfactory cuing of autobiographical memory. Am J Psychol 97:493–507

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Spangenberg ER, Sprott DE, Grohmann B, Tracy DL (2006) Gender-congruent ambient scent influences on approach and avoidance behaviors in a retail store. J Bus Res 59:1281–1287

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stuart EW, Shimp TA, Engle RW (1987) Classical conditioning of consumer attitudes: four experiments in an advertising context. J Consum Res 14:334–351

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Till BD (1998) Using celebrity endorsers effectively: lessons from associative learning. J Prod Brand Manag 7:400–409

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Willander J, Larsson M (2006) Smell your way back to childhood: autobiographical odor memory. Psychon Bull Rev 13:240–244

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson DA, Stevenson RJ (2006) Learning to smell: olfactory perception from neurobiology to behavior. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore

    Google Scholar 

  • Yeshurun Y, Lapid H, Dudai Y, Sobel N (2009) The privileged brain representation of first olfactory associations. Curr Biol 19:1869–1874

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zucco GM (2007) Odor memory: the unique nature of a memory system. In: Plümacher M, Holz P (eds) Speaking of colors and odors. John Benjamins Publishing Company, Amsterdam, pp 155–165

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Zucco GM (2012) The acquisition of odour preference via evaluative olfactory conditioning: historical background and state of the art. In: Zucco GM, Herz RS, Schall B (eds) Olfactory cognition: from perception and memory to environmental odours and neuroscience. John Benjamins Publishing Company, Amsterdam, pp 95–114

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Zucco GM, Aiello L, Turuani L, Köster E (2012) Odor-evoked autobiographical memories: age and gender differences along the life span. Chem Senses 37:179–189

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Compliance with Ethics Requirements

Conflict of Interest

Rachel Herz has received research grants from Kao Corporation. All other authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Kansei Science Research, Kao Corporation, Tokyo, Japan

    Haruko Sugiyama & Akiko Oshida

  2. Kao USA Inc., Cincinnati, OH, USA

    Paula Thueneman & Susan Littell

  3. Perfumery Development Research, Kao Corporation, Tokyo, Japan

    Atsushi Katayama & Mitsuyoshi Kashiwagi

  4. Kao Corporation, Tokyo, Japan

    Satoshi Hikichi

  5. Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University Medical School, 190 Thayer, St., Providence, RI, 02912, USA

    Rachel S. Herz

Authors
  1. Haruko Sugiyama
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Akiko Oshida
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Paula Thueneman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Susan Littell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Atsushi Katayama
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Mitsuyoshi Kashiwagi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Satoshi Hikichi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Rachel S. Herz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rachel S. Herz.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Sugiyama, H., Oshida, A., Thueneman, P. et al. Proustian Products are Preferred: The Relationship Between Odor-Evoked Memory and Product Evaluation. Chem. Percept. 8, 1–10 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12078-015-9182-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12078-015-9182-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation