Perceived odor intensity as a function of air flow through the nose

Abstract

The relationship between perceived odor intensity and flow rate during inhalation was studied. Thirty subjects, mainly students of psychology, participated. The odor from a solution of pyridine and water (0.5 ml/liter of H2O) was inhaled at five different flow rates, ranging from 75 to 1000 ml/sec. Three different conditions of sniffing were used, i.e., constant-duration sniffing (2 sec), constant-volume sniffing (1000 ml), and three successive short sniffs. The perceived odor intensity, expressed with a magnitude-estimation method, was found to increase with flow rate under all sniffing conditions.