# Tailoring In-Flight Food Consumption to Alleviate Fear of Flying Through Sensory Stimulation
## 1 Introduction  
Fear of flying (FF), also known as aviophobia, is classified as a specific situational-type phobia in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), versions DSM-IV-TR, DSM-5, and DSM-5-TR [1]. It is characterized by a persistent, irrational fear of airplanes or flight-related situations, which are typically avoided or endured with intense psychological distress. The manifestations of FF vary widely, ranging from anxiety during specific moments of the flight--such as take-off or turbulence--to anticipatory anxiety, such as insomnia in the days preceding travel, and persistent physical symptoms of anxiety throughout the flight [2]. Although the exact pathogenesis of FF remains unclear, evidence suggests that individuals with high trait anxiety sensitivity are more prone to developing this condition [3]. Additionally, self-perceptual alterations occurring at altitudes above 2500 m can precipitate panic attacks in susceptible individuals [4]. Neurobiological studies further suggest that dysregulation in serotonergic pathways and atypical frontal lobe activity may contribute to generalized anxiety, and FF in particular [5; 6; 7; 8]. Epidemiological data indicate that up to 40% of individuals in industrialized countries experience some degree of FF [9; 10]. Common coping strategies include the use of alcohol or anxiolytic medications [11], which often have adverse medical and social consequences. More recently, personalized exposure therapy and cognitive-behavioral interventions have shown promising outcomes [12]. Technological innovations, such as virtual reality (VR), are also being increasingly frequently employed to simulate flight experiences and reduce anxiety through controlled exposure [13]. In addition, as widely reported in the literature [14; 15], food sensory attributes, such as appearance, odor, taste, texture, and flavor, are key triggers of emotional responses [16; 17]. These emotions may relate to enjoyment, preferences, or consumption itself [17]. Due to its sensory nature, past experiences, and expected outcomes, food represents a particularly complex emotional stimulus [18; 19]. Beyond psychological and behavioral interventions, certain olfactory stimuli have been shown to reduce stress, enhance mood, and improve cognitive performance, even following stressful events [20; 21; 22; 23; 24]. The chemosensory system, and particularly olfaction, is closely connected to emotion-related brain regions including the amygdala, insula, orbitofrontal cortex, and cingulate cortex [25; 26]. Activation of the amygdala is stronger in response to olfactory stimuli compared to auditory or visual cues [27]. Scents are particularly effective in evoking autobiographical memories, often more so than visual or other sensory modalities [28; 29]. Repetitive, intense, and novel odors are especially likely to form emotional odor-event associations, a phenomenon commonly observed in childhood due to the greater frequency of meaningful and novel experiences occurring during this period [30]. In line with the Proustian hypothesis [14], odor-evoked memories tend to be more emotional [30], contain more event-specific details [29], and elicit a stronger sense of mental time travel [31] than those triggered by visual cues [32]. Olfactory dysfunction has been linked to mood disturbances and diminished well-being, as observed during the COVID-19 pandemic [33]. However, the systematic integration of scent delivery into technologies like VR remains in its infancy, and methodological improvements are necessary to enhance scalability and efficacy [34]. Nonetheless, aro-materapy is widely applied in contexts requiring emotional or cognitive relief, owing to its ease of use and minimal constraints [35; 36; 37]. Taste, much like smell, is a chemically driven sense with emotional and cognitive implications. Its processing overlaps with olfaction, and the full perception of flavor is inherently dependent on the sense of smell [38; 39].