People Who Can Imagine Odors Are More Likely to be Overweight

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Are you one of those people who can imagine what something is by merely smelling it? If yes, then you could be overweight or are likely to become one.

Medical Xpress reports that researchers at The John B. Pierce Laboratory, in collaboration with the Yale School of Medicine, have found out that individuals who can vividly see the aroma of food or the stink of rotten flesh are either overweight or obese.

It is known that people can easily picture the lyrics of a song whenever they see or hear it, but odor imagery is yet to be studied fully. Because of this, several questions have been raised, especially around the chance of linking odor imagery to food cravings.

The researchers based the research on the concept of DJ Kavanagh's Elaborated Intrusion Theory of Desire. The theory states that the ability of a person to create vivid images in the brain, usually triggered by smell, sight or thought, can increase food cravings.

Medical Daily notes that the researchers started the study through a simple investigation. They found out that people who are frequently experiencing food cravings are usually on the heavier side.

The observations of the researchers also led them to the possibility that people on the heavier side can also have a more vivid imagination once their sense of smell has been triggered.

The study used a series of questionnaires which prompted participants to imagine both color and odors and to rate them according to vividness, The Telegraph states. After the survey, the researchers noted that participants with higher body mass index (BMI) provided a more detailed description of the sample color or odors.

Dr. Barkha Patel, lead author of the study, states that these findings can lead the path to developing a more personal approach in the identification of factors that can lead to weight gain.

Senior author and professor of psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine Dr. Dana Small  believes that this study can also spearhead future assessments about odor imagery through direct approach rather than relying on personal measures.

The findings of the study will be presented at the annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior in Denver, the leading society when it comes to researching all aspects of food and drinking behavior among humans.