Tuesday, January 22, 2008
The University of Tel Aviv has discovered a link between depression and a biological mechanism that affects the olfactory glands in women. Professor Yehuda Shoenfeld of the Faculty of Medicine implies that women who are depressed are simultaneously losing their sense of smell and as a result are wearing more perfume.
This discovery appears to have been derived from research that implies a biological basis for depression found in lupus patients.
In lupus patients and those with other autoimmune diseases, a particle known as an autoantibody attacks the person’s own immune system, appearing in the human body as an aberrant reaction to autoimmune diseases. This particle is a real novelty, says Prof. Shoenfeld. We have found that, when generated, it weakens a person’s sense of smell and can induce the feeling of depression. - articleThe research seems to suggest that you can identify those who are depressed simply by the quantity of perfume that they wear. It also provides further evidence for the therapeutic benefits of aromatherapy.
In addition, I would be curious to see how this might affect office policy in many organizations that request to keep perfume and other scents to a minimum. If this study were to materialize into accepted theory, the ban on scented products in the workplace would not only disguise potentially depressed women, but prevent healthy emotional well-being of women by limiting the use of aromatherapy.
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