Smells are capable of evoking in us not only a sense of pleasure but also strong emotional reactions that can sometimes come unexpectedly.

The Complex Psyche Behind Aromas

Smells are capable of evoking in us not only a sense of pleasure but also strong emotional reactions that can sometimes come unexpectedly. Imagine this: an aroma that most people perceive as truly pleasant can trigger negative emotions in someone if it is associated with deep personal experiences or an instinctive sense of threat. Our consciousness is able to process even a neutral perception of a scent by interweaving it with memories and internal associations, which simultaneously gives rise to feelings of desire or alarming repulsion.

In fact, even if the chemical composition of an aroma displays pleasant notes, subconscious connections to past experiences can radically alter our perception. Our psyche is often divided into two categories—sensations of attraction and repulsion. These classes of feelings play an important role in protecting the body: it is precisely an instinctive sense of caution that can make us perceive a familiar pleasure as potentially dangerous or frightening.

Ultimately, every perception of a scent is the result of the brain’s complex work, where emotions, memory, and protective mechanisms mix. This multifaceted nature makes the study of scents such a fascinating and crucial aspect of understanding human psychology.

How can pleasant aromas provoke a repulsive psychological reaction in some people?

Some individuals may experience a repulsive psychological reaction even to a scent that most find pleasant because the perception of a smell involves not only sensory pleasure, but also deep personal, emotional, and even instinctive processes. As noted in one source, a neutral representation of a scent that emerges in the mind, when interacting in complex ways with other representations, can give rise to both feelings of desire and repulsion ("Neutral representations, as they enter into complex relationships of equilibrium or disequilibrium with each other, either draw or constrain one another, thus giving rise to the phenomena of desire or disgust") (source: link txt). In other words, even if an aroma chemically contains pleasant notes, its processing by the mind can lead to negative associations or a sense of threat.

Furthermore, memories and early experiences often play a role in forming reactions to scents. One text describes how the very same aroma emanating from flowers could be split into two parts: one that evoked delight and another that was associated with poisonous fire and doom ("as in flowers, one of their parts, enchanting and airy, evoked delight, while the other was assessed as poisonous fire and doom") (source: link txt). This suggests that even a pleasant scent can subconsciously mix with elements that invoke a sense of danger or discomfort.

Moreover, the instinctive protection mechanism is important. As mentioned in another source, humans (and other animals) experience two types of sensations—attraction and repulsion—with repulsion often reflecting a defensive fear of something unfamiliar or potentially dangerous ("we experience two classes: sensations of attraction and repulsion... One of the transformations of the feeling of fear is the feeling of disgust") (source: link txt). Thus, even if a scent seems pleasant on the surface, its intensity or a subconscious signal of potential danger may trigger a negative reaction.

Supporting citation(s):
"Neutral representations, as they enter into complex relationships of equilibrium or disequilibrium with each other, either draw or constrain one another, thus giving rise to the phenomena of desire or disgust" (source: link txt)
"As in flowers, one of their parts, enchanting and airy, evoked delight, while the other was assessed as poisonous fire and doom" (source: link txt)
"We experience two classes: sensations of attraction and repulsion... One of the transformations of the feeling of fear is the feeling of disgust" (source: link txt)