Snorting Vicks Vaporub may help relieve depression, new study suggests

Smelling familiar scents can help improve mood in people suffering from severe depression, a new study suggests.

Neuroscientists at the University of Pittsburgh found that patients who sniffed 12 recognizable odors had better access to positive memories, halting negative thought patterns that perpetuate mental illness.

The participants recalled specific memories from their lives as they smoked Vicks Vaporub, coffee, vanilla extract, lavender hand soap and more common household items.

Problems with autobiographical memory are a hallmark of major depressive disorder, which often leads patients to focus only on negative events or to interpret events in a negative light.

The scientists say that by helping depressed people access their memories more effectively through smell, negative thought cycles can be intercepted.

Each odor presented to participants was paired with an associated word. For example, the word corresponding to cumin powder was ‘curry’. Researchers found that the smells, not the words, evoked the most vivid autobiographical memories

For their study, neuroscientists enrolled 32 people between the ages of 18 and 55 with severe depression. They were exposed to twelve odors in airtight jars, along with a written cue about the odor.

Fragrances include coconut oil, cumin powder, clove bulbs, red wine, shoe polish, vanilla extract, ketchup and orange essential oil.

With their eyes closed, they took a whiff from each jar and were asked to consider a memory evoked by the scent.

Each participant rated the memories based on how good or bad it made them feel, how exciting it was, how clear it was, and how often they thought about it. They were then asked to identify each scent, but were told that it was not important to get the scent right.

Participants correctly identified the odors about 29 percent of the time on average. Smells evoked more specific memories from their lives than word cues. For example, hearing the word “menthol” was much less evocative than opening a jar and smelling Vicks Vaporub.

Smell-triggered memories were often more emotionally arousing and vivid and took longer to recall than word-triggered memories.

The researchers said: ‘Smell-evoked memories can be unique compared to other stimuli, such as auditory and visual, and contain emotional aspects.’

The olfactory bulb, responsible for processing odors, is directly connected to important brain areas related to memory and emotion, such as the amygdala and hippocampus.

Unlike other senses, scents have direct access to the emotional part of the brain, which experts say could explain why scents have such a profound impact on our memories and emotions.

Dr. Kymberly Young, a neuroscientist and co-author of the study, said: ‘If we improve memory, we can improve problem solving, emotion regulation and other functional problems that depressed people often experience.’

There are some approaches to treating depression that use scent to evoke positive memories.

Therapists can include aromatherapy as part of their regular cognitive behavioral therapy practice that trains depressed people to rethink their negative thought patterns.

They can also try what is known as reminiscence therapy, which involves recalling and sharing past experiences, facilitated by sensory stimuli such as smells, pictures or music. The idea is that by tapping into positive memories and emotions, reminiscence therapy can improve mood, self-esteem and overall well-being.

The findings were published in the journal JAMA network opened.