DiscoverHappier with Gretchen RubinLittle Happier: Good Smell, Bad Smell? Context Changes Our Experience.
Little Happier: Good Smell, Bad Smell? Context Changes Our Experience.

Little Happier: Good Smell, Bad Smell? Context Changes Our Experience.

Update: 2025-05-191
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Description

Our perception of smells depends on context—the same scent is experienced as delightful when labeled "Parmesan cheese" but revolting when called "vomit." Our interpretation of our circumstances often matters just as much as the circumstances themselves.

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Little Happier: Good Smell, Bad Smell? Context Changes Our Experience.

Little Happier: Good Smell, Bad Smell? Context Changes Our Experience.

Gretchen Rubin / The Onward Project