CINCINNATI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Procter & Gamble’s (NYSE:PG) Gain® detergent brand announced today that it has partnered with Dr. Alan Hirsch, from the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation, to show consumers the positive impact that smelling good can have in their lives.
The importance of smelling fresh and clean can sometimes be taken for granted, especially when it comes to social interactions, and even our overall for happiness. According to Dr. Hirsch, there is an invisible universe at the tip of our noses that impacts upon everything we do, as certain aromas or scents affect people’s behaviors and emotions and their interactions with others.
“My studies have shown that fresh-smelling clothes induce people to feel happier and more optimistic, and may also affect, in a positive way, how they are perceived by others,” said Dr. Hirsch. “This may be due to olfactory-evoked nostalgia, which makes people feel safe and secure, and may even work on a more primal, subliminal level, since these odors harken primal memories which were ingrained prior to acquisition of language,” he added.
A survey conducted by Gain, which included Hispanic participants, has shown consumers are particularly passionate scent seekers, for several reasons: 86 percent of consumers said that scents play an important role in their everyday routine, while 96 percent agreed that when their clothes smell fresh they feel more confident. Moreover, 84 percent agreed that a noticeable, fresh scent is important to them when choosing a detergent.
“At Gain we understand that Hispanic consumers have very specific scents preferences and, with that in mind, we want to offer them a fun and happier laundry experience with pleasant scents they enjoy,” said Hamilton Brown, Brand Manager for Gain. “Just one scoop of Gain provides more freshness than the whole box of the competition, for a long-lasting and irresistible aroma on your clothes.”
Just as important as smelling fresh, being able to smell can impact people’s daily lives as well. To help sharpen the sense of smell, Dr. Hirsch recommends the following breathing exercises—or “sniff therapy”:
- Choose three types of scents that you find pleasant, such as floral and fresh aromas (like those found in Gain laundry detergent), a fruity scent and a different one like coffee and sniff them frequently, four to six times a day for three months.
- Blindfolded, have a friend present ten different aromas for you to guess. Do this every day for one month.
- Take a deep inhalation – the larger the sniff, the better you are able to detect an odor.
Dr. Hirsch also suggests avoiding irritating scents like onion or ammonia and quitting smoking, since these can worsen your ability to smell.
For those looking to alleviate their own melancholia for times past, Gain has curated a station on Pandora, appropriately called “Nose-talgia”, with oldies in Spanish: www.pandora.com/gain
For more information on Gain, please visit www.yoamogain.com For more information on Dr. Alan Hirsch and the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation, visit http://www.smellandtaste.org/
About Dr. Alan Hirsch
Dr. Alan Hirsch, M.D., F.A.C.P., a Board Certified Neurologist and Psychiatrist specializing in the treatment of smell and taste loss, is the Neurological Director of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago. He is a Senior Attending in the Department of Medicine at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center, and Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology and the Department of Psychiatry at Rush University Medical Center. Dr. Hirsch is certified by the American Board of Neurology and Psychiatry in Neurology, Psychiatry, Pain Medicine, Geriatric Psychiatry, and Addition Psychiatry. Dr. Hirsch conducts in depth studies of the chemosensory system and its relation to all aspects of life. Some examples include studies observing the effects of aromas on behavior, emotions, mood, and interactions between individuals.
About Gain®
Gain detergent is currently available at drug, grocery and mass stores. With detergents and fabric softeners, dryer sheets, dish washing liquids, scent boosters, dryer bars and more, Gain will fill every room in your home with anything but ordinary scents. For more Gain laundry fun visit IloveGain.com, http://www.youtube.com/Gain or follow Gain Laundry on Facebook and Twitter.
About Procter & Gamble
P&G serves approximately 4.6 billion people around the world with its brands. The Company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Pampers®, Tide®, Ariel®, Always®, Whisper®, Pantene®, Mach3®, Bounty®, Dawn®, Fairy®, Gain®, Charmin®, Downy®, Lenor®, Iams®, Crest®, Oral-B®, Duracell®, Olay®, Head & Shoulders®, Wella®, Gillette®, Braun®, Fusion®, Ace®, Febreze®, Ambi Pur®, SK-II®, and Vicks®. The P&G community includes operations in approximately 75 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.
