A Sniff of Mint Could Make You a Better Driver

Photo Shaun Meintjes / Unsplash

Researchers in China have discovered that the smell of peppermint in your car can potentially improve your driving.

The study, titled Cognitive activation and emotional regulation effects of olfactory intervention in the context of advanced driver assistance systems, tested a number of different scents with a group of 34 drivers in simulations of urban driving. Their awareness was monitored under three different “odour conditions” which is actually much more pleasant than it sounds. The base line measurements were taken with just the normal smell of the car, and then two distinct scents were added: peppermint and bergamot.

The boffins in Chengdu discovered that peppermint had a positive impact on drivers’ reaction times, while bergamot proved to have a calming effect in the stressful cut and thrust of city driving. “Olfactory interventions exhibit significant context dependence across driving settings. In urban driving, characterized by high information density, bergamot more effectively suppressed low-frequency electroencephalography indices and reduced variability, whereas peppermint sometimes increased variability. In highway driving, which is monotony-prone, peppermint sustained vigilance and reduced attentional drift," reads the study.

We’ve previously reported on how in-car smells can enhance your road tripping experience and now it seems that if you pick the right peppermint pong you might driver better as well.

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