When I read about this report on the Pavlovian human sense of smell, I immediately imagined how our protectors could use it to influence our actions and emotions. The TSA is now doing it with light and sound, so why not with scent?
I also liked the euphemistic title of the study: “Aversive Learning” aka “Fear of being shocked, yet again.” In the study, two nearly identical, and normally indistinguishable by the human nose, scents were presented to participants who received shocks associated with one form but not the other. Those who received the fear training could ever-after distinguish the two scents.
1:40 pm on March 31, 2008
