Have you ever had this experience before: You’re walking along feeling down for some reason, and then, you catch a whiff of a particular smell, and almost instantly, you feel like you can conquer the world? Alright, maybe we’re exaggerating just a tad here, but you know what we mean. It’s amazing, isn’t it, how certain scents have this ability to just get a hold of our broken-down spirit and breathe new life into us?

Well, that’s the power of aromatherapy in action! Smells tend to bypass the thalamus and make a bee-line straight to the olfactory bulb, and they can have a profound effect on our emotional, physical and mental state. Certain scents are able to lift the mood and reduce stress. There have been studies that show how scents even affect our memory, concentration, sustained attention and cognitive function, all of which have their influence on our work productivity.

In terms of scents, what are the most powerful productivity boosters in the world of aromatherapy? Here they are!

Lemon
Mentally stimulating and arousing, it has been shown to help reduce the numbers of errors made while typing!

Jasmine
Re-energises the mind and improves the mood, making you more willing to work.

Rosemary
Popular as a kitchen herb, the scent of rosemary has been found to increase alertness. A splendid scent to sniff on while brainstorming.

Coffee
If drinking it perks you up, so will smelling it, for it promotes wakefulness as well as mindfulness.

Cinnamon
An aromatic spice that works wonders in aromatherapy to improve motor and mental response speed.

Peppermint
Aids in times when sustained attention and concentration are needed.

Ginger
Helps to fight mental fatigue and heighten one’s focus on tasks at hand.