Attitudes toward Olfaction: A Cross-regional Study.
This study aimed to determine whether there are regional influences on attitudes toward olfaction. A total of 1082 participants aged 21-50 years from 4 different regions (Mexican, Korean, Czech, and German) were asked to rate general attitudes toward olfaction in everyday life. To examine affective attitudes to odors (i.e., pleasantness), participants were also asked to list 3 odors as being the most pleasant or unpleasant, respectively. Next, the mentioned odor names were attributed to 1 of 4 main categories: "Food & Drink," "Social relationship," "Nature," and "Civilization" and the distribution of these categories was compared across regions. Mexicans were significantly different to the other regions in their general attitudes toward olfaction. In addition, in all regions, in comparison with men, women indicated a higher interest in the sense of smell. Moreover, a significant positive correlation was present between individuals' self-rating of olfactory sensitivity and general attitudes toward olfaction. Finally, there were significant cross-regional differences in affective attitudes toward specific categories of odors. In conclusion, our findings support and extend the notion that regions affect attitudes toward the olfactory world.
Smell & Taste Clinic, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Dresden Medical School, Dresden, Germany.
Han-Seok
HS
Seo
Marco
M
Guarneros
Robyn
R
Hudson
Hans
H
Distel
Byung-Chan
BC
Min
Jin-Kyu
JK
Kang
Ilona
I
Croy
Jan
J
Vodicka
Thomas
T
Hummel
D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D018153:Czech Republic; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico; D008875:Middle Aged; D009812:Odorants; D012903:Smell; D012931:Social Environment