How Does It Feel? Odor-Evoked Emotion Among Chinese People.

Chinese culture has the potential to influence Chinese people’s odor preference and odor-evoked emotion. However, previous studies have rarely investigated odor preference and odor-evoked emotion among Chinese people. Verbal reports are a widely used tool for measuring odor-evoked emotion. However, since it is viewed as inappropriate to verbally express negative feelings in traditional Chinese culture, it is challenging to measure odor-evoked emotion among Chinese people. This study conducted a survey to determine odor preference among Chinese people. A comparison of odor preference between Chinese people and German people was also conducted. Ninety-six Chinese participants and 103 German participants were invited to rate their preferences of forty odors. Additionally, an experiment was conducted to test odor-evoked emotions among Chinese and German people. Both verbal measurements (i.e., interviews and the Emotion and Odor Scale) and physiological measurements (i.e., electromyography and skin conductance) were used to evaluate emotional responses evoked by 12 different odors. Twelve Chinese participants and 12 German participants were invited to participate in this experiment. Cultural effects on odor preference and odor-evoked emotions were significant in this study. The use of both verbal and physiological measurements were necessary to gain a deep, comprehensive understanding of odor-evoked emotion among Chinese participants.