The Smell of Virtue - oh really?

Apparently the smell of a citrus smelling cleaning product called Windex is enough to get you digging deeper for charity as well as make you much more altruistic when sharing a $12 windfall with your friends!

According to Katie Liljenquist, assistant professor of organisational leadership at Brigham Young University Marriott School of Management said:

"This is a very simple, unobtrusive way to promote ethical behaviour. The data tells us a compelling story about how much we rely upon cleanliness cues to make a wide range of judgments about others."

The study due to be published in a forthcoming issue of Psychological Science but reported widely in the press this week, is entitled "The Smell of Virtue". Participants carried out several tasks – the only difference being that some worked in unscented rooms, while others worked in rooms freshly sprayed with lemon-scented cleaner.

See: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/6431235/Clean-environments-encourage-generosity-and-fairness.html

One of the co-authors of the study, Professor Galinsky of the Kellogg School claims that, "Basically, our study shows that morality and cleanliness can go hand-in-hand. Researchers have known for years that scents play an active role in reviving positive or negative experiences. Now, our research can offer more insight into the links.

Does it really?

This kind of research annoys me. Here are just some of the questions it raises:

• Why was only once fragrance, Windex, tested? (Who sponsored the research I wonder?)
• If nice fragrances invoke positive behaviour, do nasty fragrances invoke negative behaviour?
• Who defines nice and nasty?
• There is no investigation or questioning of the claimed link between sensory perception and behaviour. Does such a link exist? That's the real question.

Take a look at Avery Gilbert's blog for an in-depth critique http://firstnerve.com/2009/10/smell-of-virtue-drive-by-research.html

Sound bite research like this, with extrapolated claims, annoys me because it tends to undermine the really valuable research being carried out by more rigourous sensory scientist who are seeking to understand the subtle influences of senory perception on our subconscious emotions and associations.

This is a huge subject and intuitively I believe in the power of the senses to influence our perception of many things, including brands - the subject matter of this blog - but I do not believe the smell of Windex or any other cleaning product for that matter, taken out of context, has the ability to influence, positively or negatively, our innate human values of altruism of virtue.

If I'm wrong, be careful not to overpay the window cleaner next time they are round!

Comments

[Gráinne Newborough]

This seems to be a very extreme claim to me, and I doubt whether 'cleanliness' was the point.
In my experience all pleasant fagrances are uplifting,and put you in a better mood. As a result you're more positive in your outlook, perhaps a little more open minded, prepared to take more time over something, and generally see the world in a more positive light, but its a matter of degree. It's the positive mood shift rather than an association with cleanliness thats important here. I suspect any 'nice' fragrance could have produced the same results.
There's been plenty of research into this area already: Spangenberg, Crowley & Henderson 1996 , diffused a lavendar based fragrance in a retail environment and found that that the shopping environment was rated as more positive, liked and modern, the merchandise as more up-to-date, varied and of higher quality as a result of the fragrance.
It shifts perception, and helps you view the world in a more positive light.
I don't see 'cleanliness' as the point here, and as to 'cleanliness cues helping us make a wide range of judgements about others' ....mmm

[Simon Harrop]

I agree it's about perception. Intuitively shifts in perception will alter behavoiur in the long term but this research doesn't attempt to explore the link, it just makes an unsubstantiated claim

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