Smells like clean spirit
December 1st 2009 The odour in a room is enough to elicit a stronger impulse towards fairness, researchers from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University have claimed.They believe their research proves there is a correlation between hygiene and decency and that by improving our environment we can improve our behaviour.
The research found an increase in ethical behaviour when the scent of a fruit-scented cleaner fills a room.
Professor Adam Galinsky, the psychologist who conducted the study, said it shows “morality and cleanliness”are inextricably linked.“Researchers have known for years that scents play an active role in reviving positive or negative experiences,” says Galinsky.“Now, our research can offer more insight into the links between people's charitable actions and their surroundings.”
The study, titled ‘The Smell of Virtue’, made subjects carry out several tasks, with some asked to work in unscented rooms, while others worked in rooms freshly sprayed with lemon-scented cleaner.The first experiment evaluated fairness. Participants were given $12 and were asked to decide how much of it to keep and how much to return to their partners who had trusted them to divide it fairly.
Subjects in clean-scented rooms were less likely to exploit the trust of their partners, returning a significantly higher share of the cash.The average amount of cash given back by the people in the ‘normal’ room was $2.81. But the people in the clean-scented room gave back an average of $5.33.
The second experiment evaluated whether clean scents would encourage charitable behaviour. Participants surveyed in the clean-smelling room were significantly more interested in volunteering.Meanwhile, 22% of participants in the cleansmelling room said they'd like to donate money, compared to only 6% of those in a normal room. Follow-up questions revealed that participants did not notice the aroma in the room and that their mood at the time of the experiment did not affect the outcomes.
“We all know that cleanliness is key to encouraging a sense of pride in local areas, but this is the first time a link has been proved between people’s behaviour and their surroundings,” says Steve Wright chairman of the British Cleaning Council, which flagged up the research.“I hope this encourages more people to make their area cleaner and greener.” More articles from Cleaning Matters News Desk: | 
