ON ÆR · Episode 01
In the inaugural episode of ON ÆR, Fabian Hans speaks with Robert and Hana Tisserand about aromapsychology, scent and memory, olfactory training, mental wellbeing and the often-overlooked relationship between smell and the mind.
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Robert and Hana Tisserand join Fabian Hans for a long-form conversation about how smell interacts with memory, emotion, expectation and the way we experience the world.
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Why this first conversation matters to ÆR
Smell is always present, yet it is one of the senses we notice least. A familiar aroma can return us to childhood before we consciously understand what we are smelling. A particular scent can become associated with focus, rest or a meaningful period of life.
When our sense of smell changes or disappears, we begin to recognise how deeply it is connected to food, safety, memory, emotion and everyday wellbeing.
For ÆR , this inaugural conversation is especially meaningful. ÆR co-founder Sherna Hans trained through the Tisserand Institute, and the work of Robert and Hana Tisserand helped shape her understanding of essential oils, safety and aromapsychology during the early development of the brand.
The episode brings together expert knowledge and lived experience. Robert and Hana offer decades of education, research and practical insight, while Fabian shares the questions, initial scepticism and personal experiences that led scent to become part of his own working, resting and family rituals.
Together, the conversation shows that behind ÆR are real people who have lived many of the questions the brand continues to explore.
Who are Robert and Hana Tisserand?
Robert Tisserand is one of the most recognised educators and authors in modern aromatherapy. His work has helped advance professional and public understanding of essential oils, their applications and their safe use.
He is the co-author of Essential Oil Safety: A Guide for Health Care Professionals , a major reference used by aromatherapists, formulators, educators and healthcare professionals. Within modern aromatherapy, the book is often regarded as a foundational guide to essential-oil safety.
Robert also introduced the term psychoaromatherapy during the 1980s before later adopting the term aromapsychology to describe the intentional use of aroma for psychological wellbeing.
Hana Tisserand is Chief Operating Officer of the Tisserand Institute . Her work focuses on making evidence-informed education about essential oils, olfaction, safety and psychological wellbeing more accessible.
Throughout the episode, Hana brings together scientific context and everyday experience, explaining how smell can influence appetite, memory, emotion, social confidence and awareness of the body.
What is aromapsychology?
Aromapsychology is the intentional use of aroma to support psychological and emotional wellbeing.
Robert explains that aromapsychology can be understood as one part of the wider field of aromatherapy. Aromatherapy may include medicinal, physiological, cosmetic and emotional applications. Aromapsychology focuses more specifically on how aroma relates to mood, memory, attention, expectation and mental state.
The terminology matters because it gives us a clearer way to discuss experiences that are often treated as vague or purely subjective.
When someone says an aroma feels calming, they are describing a change in state. That state may involve changes in attention, tension, breathing, emotional response and physiological arousal.
Aromapsychology explores those changes without assuming that every person will respond to an aroma in the same way.
Those interested in studying the subject in greater depth can explore the Tisserand Institute’s AromaPsychology course , which examines the research surrounding essential oils and psychological wellbeing.
How smell connects with memory and emotion
Few senses can retrieve a memory as quickly as smell.
A scent may bring back a person, place or moment before we have consciously identified it. The aroma of rain may return someone to a childhood street. A perfume may bring back a relationship. A particular blend may become associated with evening, concentration or a period of transition.
During the episode, Hana explains that the parts of the brain involved in processing smell are closely connected with those involved in memory and emotion.
This is one reason scent can feel so immediate. It does not only remind us of what happened. It may also return part of the emotional atmosphere connected to that memory.
This relationship between scent, memory and emotion is one of the foundations of aromapsychology.
Is the effect of scent psychological or biological?
One of the central questions in the conversation is whether aroma affects us through memory and perception or through the biological activity of aromatic molecules.
Hana’s answer is that it may be both.
When we inhale an aroma, we experience its smell, our personal associations with it and any memories it evokes. At the same time, aromatic molecules enter the body and may produce physiological activity that science is still working to understand more fully.
Robert adds another important factor: expectation.
He describes research in which two groups were exposed to the same essential oil. One group was told the aroma was calming, while the other was told it was stimulating.
The aroma appeared to have a calming effect in both groups, but the response was stronger among those who expected relaxation.
This suggests that aroma does not work through one simple pathway. Our response may be shaped by:
- The chemical composition of the aroma
- Personal memories
- Cultural associations
- Expectation
- Context
- Individual preference
- Our emotional state at the time
The experience can therefore be both biological and psychological.
Scent as an intentional anchor
A repeated aroma can become associated with a repeated experience.
A scent used before sleep may gradually become part of the body’s recognition that the day is ending. An aroma used during focused work may become connected with concentration. A fragrance worn during a journey may later bring that period of life back with surprising clarity.
Hana describes this as creating a feedback loop. The more intentionally the aroma is connected with a particular context, the stronger that association may become.
This is not about scent controlling a person’s emotions. It is about creating a sensory cue that supports an intention.
- A morning aroma can signal the beginning of the day.
- An evening ritual can support the transition away from work.
- A personal inhaler can create a moment to pause and reconnect.
- A distinctive scent can become connected with a meaningful memory.
Robert also offers an important caution: constant exposure can weaken the conscious association.
When the same aroma remains present for too long, the brain may begin treating it as background information. We become less consciously aware of it because the brain is designed to respond more strongly to change than to constant stimulation.
Intentional exposure may therefore be more meaningful than filling a room with scent throughout the day.
Personal inhalation versus room diffusion
Scent is frequently used in hotels, spas, shops and other shared environments. In those settings, aroma often works passively in the background.
Personal aromapsychology is different.
When someone chooses an aroma, decides when to use it and consciously engages with it, the experience becomes more personal and intentional.
Personal inhalation also gives the individual more control over:
- The aroma
- The duration
- The intensity
- The moment of use
- The decision to stop
This matters because not everyone responds to scent in the same way. An aroma that feels comforting to one person may feel unpleasant or emotionally difficult to another.
Some people may also have respiratory sensitivities, asthma or negative memories associated with particular smells.
Robert and Hana discuss why personal formats, such as smelling strips or individual inhalers, can be more considerate than continuous room diffusion.
This idea closely reflects the philosophy behind ÆR : aroma as a personal ritual rather than something imposed on an entire space.
What happens when we lose our sense of smell?
The importance of smell often becomes clearer when it is reduced or lost.
Food and appetite
Much of what we experience as flavour comes from aroma. When smell disappears, food may become flat or uninteresting.
Some people lose their appetite. Others begin seeking stronger sweetness, saltiness or texture to compensate.
Social confidence
A person who cannot smell may become anxious about personal hygiene or body odour. This uncertainty can create discomfort in social situations and may lead some people to withdraw.
Safety
Smell helps alert us to smoke, gas, spoiled food and other environmental risks. Without it, people may need additional safety measures in everyday life.
Mental wellbeing
The loss of pleasure connected with food, fragrance, people and familiar environments can affect mood and quality of life.
The episode also discusses parosmia, in which familiar smells become distorted and often unpleasant. Food, people or everyday surroundings may suddenly smell like smoke, decay or rotten onions.
Smell is therefore not simply a decorative sense. It is connected to nourishment, safety, social life, pleasure and emotional wellbeing.
Can the sense of smell be trained?
Olfactory training is one of the most established approaches for supporting certain forms of smell loss.
A traditional smell-training protocol uses four distinct aromas:
- Rose
- Lemon
- Eucalyptus
- Clove
The person smells each aroma intentionally, often twice a day, over several weeks or longer.
Hana explains that consistency may be more important than using those exact four aromas. The aim is to repeatedly stimulate and engage the olfactory system.
The success of olfactory training depends on the cause of the smell loss, and it may not work in every situation. However, it is increasingly recognised as a practical approach for certain forms of olfactory dysfunction.
It also raises a larger question: why do we wait until the sense of smell is impaired before paying attention to it?
Smell, learning and sleep
One of the most fascinating parts of the episode concerns scent and memory consolidation.
Robert describes research in which students encountered a particular aroma while learning and were exposed to the same aroma again during sleep.
During sleep, the brain processes and consolidates information. Reintroducing an aroma connected with the learning experience may act as a cue, encouraging the brain to reactivate information associated with it.
The important point is that the association must first be created.
The aroma is not a shortcut that independently produces better memory. It becomes meaningful because it has been connected with the original learning experience.
Smell and the future of brain health
The conversation also explores growing scientific interest in the relationship between olfaction and neurological health.
Changes in smell can occur alongside neurological conditions, including Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. However, smell loss alone is not a diagnosis, and essential oils should not be presented as treatments for these conditions.
Robert is careful to distinguish promising preclinical findings from strong human clinical evidence.
Research into olfactory stimulation, aromatic molecules and nose-to-brain transport is developing, but many questions remain unanswered.
This uncertainty is important. Responsible aromapsychology does not exaggerate what is known. It creates space for both evidence and curiosity.
For more articles exploring scent, psychology and the science behind ÆR, visit the ÆR Background and Research journal .
Why has smell been overlooked in wellbeing?
Modern wellbeing often focuses on sleep, exercise, nutrition, supplements and measurable biomarkers. Smell rarely receives the same attention.
One reason may be that inhalation is difficult to standardise. The experience can vary depending on concentration, distance, breathing pattern, duration, individual sensitivity and personal association.
These differences make scent research complex, but they are also what make scent deeply human.
Hana suggests that intentional smelling is itself a way of engaging the brain and bringing attention back to the body.
In a world shaped by stress, overstimulation and constant performance, that moment of awareness can matter.
Aromapsychology is not a replacement for medical care, psychotherapy or professional mental-health support. It may, however, offer an accessible tool for supporting daily rituals, emotional awareness and intentional transitions.
Continue learning with the Tisserand Institute
Those who want to explore aromapsychology, essential-oil safety and evidence-informed practice in greater depth can find a range of courses through the Tisserand Institute.
- AromaPsychology — a research-led course exploring essential oils and psychological wellbeing.
- Practical AromaPsychology — a client-centred course connecting aromapsychology theory with practical application.
- AromaPsychology Program — a combined learning path bringing together AromaPsychology and Practical AromaPsychology.
- Essential Oil Safety Masterclass — Robert Tisserand’s course on evaluating risks, benefits, dosage and evidence-based essential-oil safety.
- Fundamentals of Essential Oil Therapy — an introductory course for those beginning their essential-oil education.
- View all Tisserand Institute courses — explore the Institute’s current education in aromapsychology, safety, formulation, chemistry, skin health and aromatic pharmacology.
A meaningful first conversation for ON ÆR
This inaugural episode reflects why ON ÆR was created.
The podcast is not simply about products or trends. It is a space for thoughtful conversations about the forces influencing how we think, feel and experience the world.
Researchers and practitioners bring evidence and expertise. Guests bring their individual perspectives. Fabian brings the questions and lived experiences that make those ideas relevant to everyday life.
ON ÆR is where the science meets the lived experience behind ÆR.
Rediscovering an overlooked sense
Smell influences more of life than we often realise.
It shapes flavour, memory, emotional response, environmental awareness and the way certain moments remain with us.
The science of aromapsychology is still developing. Some areas are supported by meaningful evidence, while others remain emerging or preclinical.
What is already clear is that smell deserves more attention.
It is not simply something pleasant in the background.
It is part of how we experience the world.
Listen and explore
Listen to Aromapsychology: How Smell Shapes the Mind, featuring Robert and Hana Tisserand and hosted by Fabian Hans.
