What Does Research Smell Like? Putting the Human Sense of Smell to the Test

Our sense of smell is with us all the time—often unnoticed, but with a major influence on our perception, emotions, and behavior. In this article, we provide an overview of research on the sense of smell and show how it can be scientifically measured. Using the established “Sniffin’ Sticks” test, we’ll demonstrate how various aspects of smell—such as sensitivity, discrimination, and identification—are measured. In addition, participants have the opportunity to design their own “smelling landscape” by arranging different scents in space according to their perceived similarity.