The Pumpkin Spice Effect

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The aromas of fall can have a much bigger effect on us than you might think. Find out how seasonal scents can improve focus and productivity. | SUCCESS

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hands holding a pumpkin spice cappuccino in fall colors

It’s that time of year when the leaves start to change and the familiar smell of pumpkin spice is in the air. When you catch that first hint of cinnamon, you feel your body reflexively relax. But what if this season is about more than just special Starbucks drinks and the Sanderson sisters? Can you use the scents of the season to harness your focus and productivity to end the year strong?

The “pumpkin spice” rage grew out of the familiar and comforting scent of spices used to make pumpkin pie during the holiday season. It’s a mix of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and cloves. According to wellness physician Dr. Russell Jaffe, these scents “can evoke feelings of nostalgia and happiness. When we smell these spices, our brains often associate them with cozy autumn memories, like family gatherings, pumpkin carving and Thanksgiving dinners. This emotional connection can have a positive impact on our mood.”

Scents, like cinnamon, allspice and clove, have a powerful impact on our brain, allowing us to instantly recall specific emotional states associated with experiences we’ve had. “Your sense of smell is one synapse away from your memory storage…which is why it can be so powerful and which is why I think it’s one of the most underrated things,” says performance coach Clay Moffat.

These autumn scents don’t just induce happiness from good memories, though. Both the smell of these scents and including these spices in your diet can have a positive impact on your physical and mental health. Preliminary studies suggest that cinnamon has anti-anxiety-like effects on the brain. Cinnamon has also been shown to improve cognitive and memory function. Vanilla, another popular autumn scent, has been shown to increase theta brain waves, which are often associated with deep meditation. Cloves have been shown to reduce feelings of stress and relieve mental fatigue due to their positive impact on the body’s circulatory system. “They [cinnamon, specifically Ceylon cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, sage and peppermint] trigger the release of…our body’s natural mood lifters,” says Jaffe, also noting they can help reduce stress and anxiety while increasing feelings of happiness and relaxation.

Using scents that trigger a sense of calm or happiness in the nervous system can allow us to access more productivity and focus. “If you’ve got [a scent] that is powerfully conditioned, it will be able to take them from a fight or flight response into a ventral vagal response, which is your safe and social response” explains Moffat. “And that starts giving you your entire brain back.”

By stimulating the nervous system to move from our sympathetic (fight, flight, freeze or fawn) nervous system—where we are in survival mode—to our parasympathetic nervous system through the inhalation of these smells, we are able to inhabit a condition known as “alpha block.” “Alpha block is…where your brain inhibits the ability to have alpha brainwave dominance, which then prevents you from being able to think creatively, because alpha brain waves are what allows us to get into these states,” Moffat shares. “It’s like a bridge between the conscious and subconscious.”

If you’re not a fan of the pumpkin spice season, or this time of year doesn’t evoke positive memories for you, choose a different scent and smell it every time you find yourself in a productive or focused state. This will create an anchor between the scent and productivity so you can induce that focused state anytime you need it.

Photo by Torre Annunziata

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