Effects of medium-to-long-term exposure to aromatic environment on subjective perception

• Perception of aromatic environment follows the principle of olfactory adaptation. • Frequency of intermittent stimuli determines whether adaptation or recovery occurs. • Olfactory comfort and perceived air quality increase with exposure time. • Sick building syndrome (SBS) is related to the type of odor. • Dimensions of perception and SBS for evaluating aromatic environments are proposed. Creating an aromatic environment involves releasing compounds from plants into the air, generating a fragrant indoor atmosphere. Recent research highlighted the functional benefits of such environments on cognitive performance and sleep quality. Despite these positive findings, the impact on subjective perception and sick building syndrome (SBS) remains underexplored, even though this is the most direct and fundamental aspect of how aromatic environments affect individuals. This study reports on findings from a climate chamber experiment to simulate medium-to-long-term indoor exposure, investigating the effects of odor types, release conditions, and exposure time on subjective perception and SBS. To this end 44 young adults (22 males with average age of 21.6, and 22 females with average age of 21.9) were divided into 3 groups to experience different odors, while each of them participated in 6 aromatic cases and 1 odorless case. In each case participants exposed to aromatic environment for 4 hours and the questionnaires were collected 3 times. Results indicate that as exposure time increases, the perceived impression and intensity of odors diminish, while comfort levels rise. Variations in concentration and release frequency effect odor impression and intensity, with these effects diminishing over time. Aromatic environments should be tailored to individual preferences, avoiding frequent intermittent releases and potentially harmful odors to improve comfort and evaluations of indoor air quality (IAQ).