Sniff of jasmine raises bowling scores.

• Position: Sense of Smell - Brief article

Sniffing the aroma of jasmine while bowling improved the scores of participants by 27%. according to a study by Alan N. Hirsch of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation, Chicago. While wearing jasmine-odorized surgical masks (as compared to those who wore unodorized masks), bowlers knocked down an average of 1.8 more pins per frame.

"Maybe it works by improving hand-eye coordination, reducing fatigue or enhancing mood," says Hirsch. "Alternatively, since malodor impairs performance, possibly jasmine acts by masking the...