# Aromachology Related to Foods, Scientific Lines of Evidence: A Review
## 3 Results and Discussion
### Revision of Scientific Literature
In parallel, they combined the effect of aroma (neutral versus pleasant) and its intensity (low, medium, high) and studied it with an additional control group. The authors found that whether the aroma was neutral or pleasant did not matter how intense the aroma was, as compared to the control group that had no aroma. Furthermore, they observed that subjects in the scented group reported noticing that they had spent less time in the store, compared to the unscented control group. On the other hand, subjects in the unscented group reported spending much more time in the store than they actually had. Subjects in the scent group did not show this discrepancy. Evaluations of the store, in general, and the store environment were more positive when the store was scented than if it was not. Most results obtained in the reviewed studies have been positive, presenting a clear correlation between the aroma used and the sensation produced in consumers, which is beneficial, because it leads to an increase in stay in supermarkets or restaurants, in addition to an increase in consumption or purchase of food as already found [45]. _What are the reasons or mechanisms behind this positive response?_ The two most commonly used explanations can be separated by whether odour primarily influences unconscious effects, such as mood, or whether an odour primarily influences cognition. In the area of the commercial atmosphere, [PERSON] and [PERSON] [48] discussed mood as a mediating factor between environmental cues and behaviour. Environmental psychologists claim that shoppers react to environmental cues with focus (desire to stay in the environment, explore, etc.) or avoidance behaviours (desire to leave) and that mood mediates this relationship. However, in the marketing literature, this explanation has not received strong support. [PERSON] and [PERSON] [44] found that only a small percentage of the studies (16.1%) showed any influence of smell on mood. Another explanation for the process is that smell influences cognitive processes. [PERSON] and [PERSON] [31] found no effect of scent on mood, but they found that scent increased attention to brands, as measured by display times for various brands [31; 49]. [PERSON], [PERSON], and [PERSON] [30] found that smell influenced the extent of information processing and cognitive elaborations. [PERSON] and [PERSON] [39] tested various process theories and concluded that cognitions related to product quality and the shopping environment are influenced by smell, which in turn influenced the buyer's mood. As mentioned before, [PERSON] [3] concluded that the most comprehensive theory was based on psychological mechanisms mediating the effect of odours on mood, physiology, and behaviour. Another relevant factor is the congruence between the products offered by an establishment and its aroma. In this sense, [PERSON], [PERSON], and [PERSON] [30] studied the effect of an ambient aroma congruent with a product category: a chocolate aroma was combined with an assortment of sweets and a floral aroma with a flower arrangement. If the aroma was congruent with the product, the subjects spent more time processing the data, generated more self-references, and were more likely to make additional inferences and exhibit a search behaviour for other purchase options. In general, cognitive elaboration was higher in congruent conditions. According to [PERSON], [PERSON], [PERSON], and [PERSON] [24], a pleasant aroma can affect the perception of the passage of time. It can also affect visual and taste perceptions [7; 45] or create a generally pleasant environment for clients [46; 50]. Another example is that the results of [PERSON] and [PERSON] [22] confirmed the hypothesis that scents have an influence on restaurant customers' behaviour. The study found that both the length of time and amount of money spent were positively affected by lavender in pizzeria restaurants (small choice of dishes: 17 pizzas, 4 types of meat, 3 fishes, and 4 salads).