NOSE

Humans are no odor zombies: Motivated behavior as induced by smells is context-dependent

Jasper de Groot and Monique Smeets just published an article in the high impact journal Behavior Research Methods, in which they teased apart the role of context and type of smell on motivation and behavior. Their study applied virtual reality (VR) to create a real-world, immersive setting that was compared to a traditional, ...
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Lifetime Achievement Award for “Godfather of Olfaction Science” Prof Ep Köster

No, it was not a traditional trophy such as a cup, plaque or medal, that emeritus professor of psychology, Ep Köster, received to honor him for his lifetime achievements in the area of human olfaction science. Instead, he received an olfactory award, in the form of a perfume specifically designed ...
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Knowing by sensing: a lecture series

Want to learn how you can use all your senses to learn about the world around you? Check out this course organized by NOSE member Caro Verbeek!  With many lectures and hands-on practical experiences exploring all sensory modalities, by Cathelijne Denekamp, Cretien van Campen, Ilja Croijmans, Caro Verbeek, Piet Devos, and ...
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A Nose For Life! Symposium in the honor of Ep Köster

NOSE (Netherlands Olfactory Science Exchange) is organising a special symposium honouring prof dr E.P. Köster for his role in instigating and developing olfactory psychological science in the Netherlands. Thanks to prof dr E.P. (‘Ep’) Köster, the Netherlands knows a long tradition and international reputation in olfactory research, with a focus ...
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Boekreview – De illusie van drank (Dutch only)

Aan het begin waarschuwt Jeroen Derks al: in dit boek vind je geen beschrijving hoe whisky, speciaalbier of wijn gemaakt wordt. Daarover zijn er al talloze andere boeken op de markt. Dat schept zekere verwachtingen over de inhoud: waar gaat het dan over? Al snel wordt duidelijk dat Derks zijn ...
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Smelling without an olfactory bulb?

Smell is possibly the most enigmatic sense. We only recently became aware that our social communications and interactions are influenced by our sense of smell, training may improve the ability to smell again in people suffering from anosmia, and smell scientists across the globe are working hard to fully understand ...
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Reuktraining App

De stichting Reuksmaakstoornis is er voor mensen die verminderd kunnen ruiken, bijvoorbeeld omdat ze een ongeluk hebben gehad, een langdurige luchtweginfectie hebben, maar ook wanneer er geen aanwijsbare oorzaak is. Het verlies van je vermogen om te ruiken heeft veel impact, op persoonlijk en sociaal vlak. Onderzoek van onder andere prof ...
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The smell of fear: it’s dose dependent

Jasper de Groot published an article on the chemical communication of fear in the high impact journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. His study shows that humans can express the quantity of their experienced fear in their body odor. That is, the more fearful a person was (induced by ...
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Highlights from the inaugural NOSE scientific meeting

Despite the long and illustrious history of olfaction research in the Netherlands (e.g., Hendrik
Zwaardemaker from Utrecht University invented the olfactometer in 1888), there has never been a
dedicated national platform for olfactory researchers and allied parties to meet and exchange the
latest research perspectives. On November 15th the inaugural NOSE scientific meeting was held at
Utrecht University. The meeting included speakers from a range of disciplines (from medicine to art
history), and highlighted the breadth of olfactory research present today in the Netherlands. We
present some highlights of the events for those budding odour enthusiasts who were unable to
attend, and for those enthusiastic attendees who would like to relive the day.

Sanne Boesveldt (Wageningen University) discussed how olfactory cues can affect appetite and
eating behaviour, raising questions about when odours can be effective cues for food, and whether
they could be manipulated to increase healthy food behaviour. Peter de Jong (University of
Groningen) introduced how odour can be used in psychopathology and explained how disgust odours
can affect sexual behaviour. Garmt Dijksterhuis (Wageningen University) strongly argued olfactory
transmission is an unlikely possibility, highlighting differences between olfaction and vision and
sound. Andrea Evers (Leiden University) raised the question of whether odours can be useful in
placebo research and provided evidence that odours can condition physiological responses. Rob
Holland (Radboud University) again highlighted the relationship between disgust and odour, showing
that disgusting pictures can lower olfactory threshold, implying we become more attuned to odour
when we’re in a state of disgust. Asifa Majid (Radboud University) added a cross-cultural perspective,
showing that although vision language dominates across languages, in some cultures elaborate odour
lexicons exist. With an interactive odour presentation, Caro Verbeek (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)
explored historical smells and taught us how to “look at art with an olfactory gaze”. Wilbert Boek
(Hospital Gelderse Vallei) discussed odour from the perspective of an ENT doctor, and emphasised
the effect anosmia can have on one’s daily life, and how the medical profession should be more
aware of its importance. The meeting ended with Monique Smeets (Utrecht University), describing
her work on the role of odour in social signalling, for example, the odour of fearful sweat can lead to
fear expressions, and the odour of happy sweat can lead to happy expressions.
After this fascinating first meeting, we look forward to hearing from new members, and to further
olfactory events in the near future.

Laura Speed