Mental health issues have always been part of our society. There is an increased focus on these matters which has led to people being more conscious about their own mental health and of others around them. Researchers and other scientists have chosen mental health and the related issues as primary areas of research and further discoveries, revealing useful information which was unknown before.
Scientists have discovered that our bodies give off distinct scents when we experience different emotions. These are called chemosignals. These ‘scents’ do not possess any specific smell or odor that can be detected by our noses. However, the aura they give off is contagious and other people can be affected by it. This is the reason why people catch the feelings of their atmosphere and are happy when others are happy and feel sad or down when people around them are feeling despondent.
The researchers at the University of Pisa, Italy are analyzing the sweat of people under different conditions like when they are exposed to fear, when they are happy, when they are sad, etc. This sweat is then investigated for chemical compounds which are found in the sweat under different moods. These chemosignals are tried to be emulated so the feelings can be created and induced in people around.
Professor Scilingo is heading the project by the name Potion at the University. This can serve as a potential aid for psychiatrists who can comprehend and make sense of fear and other emotions to deal with them in a better sense. Moreover, the scents can be synthesized and used to induce positive feelings like happiness. This can immensely help people who struggle with mental health issues and are unable to have a positive mindset. The discovery will be more useful in a post covid world where depression, anxiety, and other disorders have become prevalent.