Jiangling Ma (Graduate School of Design)’s paper has been accepted for Building and Environment.
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Authors
Jiangling Ma , Su Yadanar Kyi , Tomo Inoue , Ahmed Abdulhai , Mengyang Xu
Affiliation
Graduate School of Design, Department of Design
Manuscript Title
Research on the impact of sweet odor on human thermal comfort in indoor environments
Abstract
Buildings contribute substantially to global energy use, making it important to improve indoor thermal comfort in cold conditions without increasing heating demand. This study investigated the effects of a sweet odor on human thermal comfort and brain activity in a cold environment. The experiment adopted a two-stage design, with a no-odor condition followed by a sweet-odor condition. The sweet odor was a blended scent composed of strawberry, vanilla, and caramel aromas. Subjective evaluations of thermal comfort vote, thermal sensation vote, and smell pleasantness vote were collected by questionnaire in both stages. Simultaneously, electroencephalography (EEG) signals were recorded and analyzed using electroencephalographic equipment. The results showed that sweet-odor exposure improved both thermal comfort and thermal sensation. The mean TCV increased from −0.72 to −0.28, and the mean TSV increased from −1.33 to −0.61, indicating a shift toward a more comfortable and less cold perception. EEG analysis revealed that theta-band relative power increased by approximately 11.7% after sweet-odor exposure, whereas no significant changes were observed in the other frequency bands. The theta response was mainly distributed in the right frontal, left temporo-parietal, and occipital regions, with the right frontal showing the clearest association with changes in thermal comfort evaluation. No significant correlations were found between SPV and theta-band changes in subjective evaluations. These findings suggest that sweet odor may improve human thermal comfort in cold environments by modulating neural activities related to cognitive evaluation, emotional processing, and sensory integration, providing a new approach for low-energy indoor thermal comfort regulation in winter.
Journal name
Building and Environment
Relevant SDGs
SDGs11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities)
Comments
This study supports the view that thermal comfort is shaped by the interaction of sensory input, attentional state, and emotional regulation, rather than by a single sensory pathway. Sweet odor may improve thermal comfort through coordinated central neural modulation across multiple functional regions, rather than by simply reducing cold sensation. Therefore, sweet odor has potential as a non-thermal environmental intervention for improving perceived comfort in cold indoor environments, with implications for multisensory building environment design and energy-saving indoor regulation.
