THE sweet scent of roses or almonds could take some of the pain out of your stay in hospital. But only if you’re a woman.
Serge Marchand and Pierre Arsenault at the University of Québec in Abitibi-Témiscamingue asked 20 men and 20 women to keep their hand immersed in painfully hot water for as long as they could while smelling various odours. When given pleasant aromas such as almond extract to sniff, the women experienced significantly less pain. Foul smells such as vinegar seemed to slightly intensify their pain. However, the pain felt by the men was not affected by…
