Is a strong cup of coffee the only antidote to feeling sleepy on long trips behind the wheel? The answer is no, according to the Wheeling Jesuit University in America.
The scent of peppermint and cinnamon may keep you alert and decrease your frustration when driving, reported the study led by associate professor of psychology Dr Bryan Raudenbush.
Prolonged driving tends to escalate anger and fatigue, says Raudenbush. Similarly, the physical demand of concentrating on the road decreases driver vigour. “Both cinnamon and peppermint administration led to increased ratings of alertness in comparison to the non-odour control condition,” he says, also stating that the findings could help reduce highway and roadside fatalities.
The study builds on Dr Raudenbush’s past research which revealed peppermint and cinnamon scents enhance motivation, performance and alertness, while decreasing fatigue and stimulating the central nervous system.
Whilst the study did not outline methods for administering these scents, Australian aromatherapists typically use essential oils in vehicles via vaporiser devices powered by car cigarette lighters, adding oil drops to carpets, or placing tissues dabbed with oil in air vents.
The scent of peppermint and cinnamon may keep you alert and decrease your frustration when driving, reported the study led by associate professor of psychology Dr Bryan Raudenbush.
Prolonged driving tends to escalate anger and fatigue, says Raudenbush. Similarly, the physical demand of concentrating on the road decreases driver vigour. “Both cinnamon and peppermint administration led to increased ratings of alertness in comparison to the non-odour control condition,” he says, also stating that the findings could help reduce highway and roadside fatalities.
The study builds on Dr Raudenbush’s past research which revealed peppermint and cinnamon scents enhance motivation, performance and alertness, while decreasing fatigue and stimulating the central nervous system.
Whilst the study did not outline methods for administering these scents, Australian aromatherapists typically use essential oils in vehicles via vaporiser devices powered by car cigarette lighters, adding oil drops to carpets, or placing tissues dabbed with oil in air vents.
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