How Aromatherapy Scents Affect the Brain and Mood

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While researching how aromatherapy works, I was really excited to find out about the direct connection between smell and the part of your brain that responds to threats. This connection fast-forwarded my understanding of how effective aromatherapy can be for helping people deal with stress, anxiety, PTSD, anger, and other mood challenges.

It appears that aromas from concentrated essential oils send messages to the limbic system in your brain. The pathway is:

aroma
--to--
olfactory bulbs in your nose
--to--
the limbic part of your brain.

The limbic system includes the amygdala and is the center of instinctive behavioral responses, mood, and memory.

Diagram showing how aromatherapy scents travel from the olfactory bulb to the limbic system, including the amygdala, hippocampus, hypothalamus, and related brain structures involved in emotion, memory, and stress responses.

The limbic system gets involved in your emotional responses (fear, pleasure, anger) and behaviors that are stimulated by drives for survival (hunger, sex, aggression, care of your children).

It's the part of your brain that responds to stress with fight, flight, freeze, or fawn—so if we can relax the limbic system, we can potentially relax that response.

This direct connection helps explain why scent-based approaches can feel more immediate than many other stress-support strategies.

Natural Anti-Anxiety Support: Foods and Supplements Book

If you’re interested in exploring other natural approaches to anxiety and stress resilience — beyond how scent affects the brain — my book Feed Your Calm: Anti-Anxiety Anti-Stress Diet and Supplement Tips for Stress Resilience offers additional, research-informed strategies.

The book explains what's happening in your body when stressed and offers evidence-based nutrition do's and don'ts. It’s designed to be practical and approachable, with strategies you can use alongside tools like aromatherapy.

Image of the book Feed Your Calm book by Ann Silvers focused on natural support for anxiety and stress resilience.