Inviting a woman home can involve a lot of cleaning and planning, or it can be something spontaneous.
But what if you haven’t gotten around to that, and she’s coming by after work? The most important thing you can do to give her a good impression of where you live is – surprisingly – making your place smell good.
Why Scent Matters
Of all the five senses, smell is the only one that goes straight to the most primal part of the brain. Anything we see, hear, taste or touch is perceived through the thalamus, which is like the brain’s logical core. But scent is perceived through the limbic lobe, which is the emotional headquarters.
So a woman’s emotions will be engaged much more fully when there’s some kind of scent in the air. Your job is to make sure the home fragrance is a good one.
Don’t grab something off a fragrance counter. She’s realistic enough to know you don’t usually get up and spray cologne all around the house.
The aroma doesn’t have to come from a gourmet dinner, either. Sure, you get extra credit if you can whip up an omelet or a plate of pasta on a moment’s notice, but there’s no need for that either.
What Scents Do Women Like?
Dr. Alan Hirsch of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago investigated the fragrances that create arousal in men and women. Surprisingly, the scent women found most stimulating was that of a classic movie-theater candy, Good & Plenty licorice, combined with cucumber.
Since that’s not something you’re likely to have sitting around the house, you can see how tricky it is to find the perfect aroma. Especially when the second most arousing fragrance for women age 18-49 was baby powder, and in third place was lavender with pumpkin pie – the combination which scored highest among men.
By the way, scoring lowest among women were cherry, barbecue charcoal, and men’s cologne. So there’s all the more reason to make your home smell like something other than the cologne you might have splashed on this morning.
Unless you have plenty of time for maintaining fresh flowers, choose something simple. Fragrance diffusers or luxury candles from Claire Burke are quick and casual, giving off a pleasant aroma without looking like you struggled to make a good impression.
Making It Work
No matter which scent you choose, chances are good that – unless she already associates it with a particular memory – the woman you’re welcoming into your home will soon connect the scent with you.
So make sure she has a great time on her first visit, and her limbic lobe will connect that positive emotion with the aroma you selected. Next time she smells it, she’ll automatically feel positive… which will mean an even better experience for both of you!
