Smelling coffee may ease anxiety and fatigue, Japanese study finds

The study, conducted by researchers at Showa Pharmaceutical University in Tokyo and published in the journal Nutrients, involved 20 healthy adults aged 20 to 29. Researchers assessed participants' mood and recorded their brain activity before and after 5 minutes of exposure to coffee aroma.

For the experiment, freshly brewed coffee was placed about 50 centimeters from each participant. They breathed normally while the aroma naturally spread through the room for 5 minutes. The participants did not drink the coffee.

Afterward, questionnaire results showed significant reductions in fatigue, tension and anxiety, confusion, and feelings of depression and dejection. Overall negative mood scores also fell. However, participants did not report a significant increase in vigor or energy.

The researchers also measured electrical activity in the brain using a portable EEG headband. An index based on the EEG readings increased from about 0.74 before exposure to 0.78 afterward, a change the researchers said was associated with relaxation-related brain activity. They cautioned, however, that the measure should not be treated as direct proof that the coffee aroma caused a meaningful state of relaxation.

No significant changes were found in heart rate or heart rate variability, suggesting the short exposure did not produce a clear cardiovascular response.

The authors stressed that the study was exploratory and had important limitations. It included only 20 young adults and had no control group exposed to odor-free air or another smell. Larger controlled studies are needed to confirm the findings.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Brazil coffee prices rose amid slow harvest.