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Olfactory perceptual decision-making is biased by motivational state
Emerging research indicates that internal conditions can shape how we interpret sensory information, yet it is still uncertain how motivational states like hunger or fullness affect decision-making related to smells. In this study by Shanahan, Bhutani & Kahnt (2021), a new task was created using combinations of food and non-food scents (e.g., cinnamon bun with cedar, pizza with pine) to explore how people make olfactory-based decisions. Participants performed the task before and after eating a meal aligned with one of the food odors, allowing comparisons between hunger and satiety states. Results showed that after eating, participants were less likely to identify meal-matched odors as food-dominant, while non-matched odors were unaffected. fMRI scans supported these findings, showing changes in brain activity within olfactory and limbic areas. Specifically, after eating, the brain’s ability to distinguish meal-matched odors decreased, and these odors were processed as less food-like. This study demonstrates that hunger and satiety influence smell-based decision-making in an odor-specific way, driven by neural changes. [NPID: Olfactory perception, hunger, satiety, motivational state, decision-making, food odors, non-food odors, fMRI, brain activity, limbic system]
Year: 2021
