The Aroma of Coffee May Ease Mood and Quiet Brain Activity

A small study of 20 young adults found that simply smelling freshly brewed coffee (without drinking it) reduced negative mood and increased an EEG-derived relaxation index within five minutes, while heart rate stayed the same. The findings, published in Nutrients, are limited by the lack of a control condition and a small, homogeneous sample, so it’s unclear whether scent alone caused the changes or if expectancy played a role. More robust, randomized studies are needed to confirm these effects and their physiological significance.