Event Report: “Smell Perception & the Neuroscience of Personality” – Science, Scent, and Personality

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Dr. Helen Fisher

A recent Sniffapalooza event hosted by the founders Karen Dubin and Karen Adams entitled, Smell Perception & the Neuroscience of Personality brought together a noted biological anthropologist, a chemist with expertise in smell and perception, and a master perfumer. I arrived with my completed questionnaire in hand that mapped my personality type. Once on the floor Dr. Helen Fisher of Rutgers University, resident psychologist at Match.com, and author of several books on relationships described her four broad biologically-based personality types: Explorer/Dopamine; Builder/Serotonin; Director/Testosterone; Negotiator/Estrogen, she also explained that certain personality types are attracted to specific personality types. For example, the Director/Testosterone type is mostly attracted to the Negotiator/Estrogen type. Dr. Fisher reminded us that we are a combination of all these four types, but that we express some more than others. Dr. Syed Shamil, formerly of PepsiCo, Firmenich, and Mane posed many questions, but the central question that resonated in the room was: “Are we drawn to smell based on our personality?”

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Dr. Sayed Shamil and Master Perfumer Mathieu Nardin

First up we blindly smelled the top and bottom notes from each of the four (non-gender) fragrances based on each personality type. Dr. Shamil worked with Master Perfumer of Robertet, Mathieu Nardin to create the four fragrances. As we happily smelled, we completed a survey to determine which notes we loved or disliked most. This determined if our personality profile matched one of the four fragrances. I quickly circled that I loved T2 as it had a lactonic creaminess and Amber warmth; Dr. Shamil mentioned that the Negotiator/Estrogen type would most likely be attracted to these ambery notes of empathy. As our forms were being collected a woman sitting next to me identified herself as an Explorer/Dopamine personality who happened to be wearing Goutal’s Ambre Fétiche, – a clear contradiction to the survey results. I thought…she must have a little Negotiator/Estrogen in her.

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Dr. Shamil, Dr, Fisher, Mr. Nardin, and the event crowd

These four valid fragrances, entitled, DAT (Doctor’s Aromatic Treat) may lead some to wear them if they are interested in an exacting method of exploring personality traits via scent. Dr. Shamil said these fragrances have the potential for consumers to explore "who they are; who they want to be; and get them closer to whom they want to be with.”  However, all this speed smelling and filling in the blanks left me blank. As I looked around the room there were some industry insiders, and many who have devoted their lives to all things scented, and I wanted to believe that our process of arriving at perfume was different.

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Kelly Jones of Kelly & Jones

Kelly Jones, Founder, Creator, and Scent Sommelier of Kelly & Jones attended the event. I asked her if she thought that we are drawn to smell based on our personality. Kelly had this to say, "Fragrance is all about storytelling. I believe that we wear the fragrances that reflect our own personal stories. Our experiences – our stories – in turn shape our personalities. It's all beautifully intertwined, and scent memories are so integral to the fragrance selections that consumers make – all the way from our everyday cleaning products to a fine fragrance on a special evening."

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Vintage travel stickers

Most days I choose a fragrance simply based on how it smells; as my perfume wardrobe grows, there are now many ways to start the day. There are times that I wear a perfume as a reminder of a particular place and time, or a special person. Other days I wear a fragrance for reasons that are completely intangible, unspoken, and inarticulate. Perfume can transport me to places I have never traveled to yet: India, the Bosphorus, Hawaii. Fragrance is complex. It’s hard to describe what makes me choose one fragrance over another, but the more I explore it the more I find that there are a myriad of methods and styles that continue to fascinate and lead me to olfactive places I didn’t think I would necessarily go. Perfume is art. Wearing a perfume to seduce, or attract another seems something that lives in perfume ads. Are there fragrances that my partner loves? Yes, but most of these fragrances are ones that were already set-in place before I knew him. On certain days my perfume can become an extension of who I am, the next day it offers protection against the darker elements that are lurking about. Some days perfume punctuates an outfit that I am wearing, and other days it is only about the perfumer, who will I wear and today Ellena? Ropion? At the very least our perfume reveals the dormant and assured sides of our personality; at its very best its nuances can transform us.

Valerie Vitale, Editor

Note: event photos courtesy Sniffapalooza

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12 comments

  • Sandi L says:

    Valerie, I loved and so connected with your statement: my perfume can become an extension of who I am, the next protection. I think more often than not my subconscious chooses my perfumes.

  • Len says:

    It seems ridiculous to create fragrances that type you as one of four personalities that sure sounds gimmicky and narrow
    You articulated in a way I could not on why I love perfume for its ability to transport me and surround me with beauty that fills me with joy Seems you attended what clearly was a marketing effort for a new fragrance concept since you had to fill out forms before which is what they do for focus groups for clients in other industry
    PS I am in advertising where its routine for our clients to use focus groups

  • Yukiko says:

    Every day, my perfume becomes a part of me as a whole; just like a pair of earrings, a dress, or a pair shoes I decide to put on, it helps me to project who I want to be on the particular day. I might have very complex, multiple personalities 😉

  • Ramona says:

    I find this connection between psychology and scent very interesting! Great article, but I think this is only part of the whole equation when it comes to the human mind and scent experience. I know that I am most definitely attracted to people not only by their smell but also the human voice, whether in everyday conversation or in a musical endeavor. Vision plays a part, but for me at least, it is of lesser value than sound and scent. Maybe I am the odd one out…?

  • AD says:

    Interesting food for thought. It’s certainly true that we are drawn to different kinds of perfumes but I’m not sure it’s based on personality as much as familiarity. Most people tend to gravitate towards things they are familiar with. I find that once you smell a lot of different things, your palate starts to open up and you begin to appreciate other scents that you might not have before. This is certainly true for me in regards to big orientals. They are still not my first choice for perfume but now I get cravings for them from time to time.

  • AubreyZ says:

    Very interesting article! The Karens sound like they create such though provoking discussions. Glad to see summaries of events on Cafleurebon for people like me who can’t get there!

    In some ways, it seems inevitable that personality would play a part in the fragrances that we choose to wear… for instance, an outgoing person with a big personality who wears bright colors might feel more comfortable wearing some big fragrances (MKK, TC) than I would. Know what I mean?

    But I hadn’t thought of it in these terms before (classifying us in groups). Food for thought, for sure.

  • Sujaan says:

    Wonderful recap, Valerie. Thank you. I had wanted to attend this but was out of town. So happy you went so we could hear about it in such detail.