how i can test aromatherapy and it effects your mood for the science fair ???

Question

i think this is a good project but i need to kno how to test it. that's the problem. ineed some creative stuff. thanx

Answer 1

Pick two or three aromatherapy oils with very different properties, say one that is stimulating, one that is calming.

Ask a pharmacist for small tubs of unscented creme (the base they use for mixing dermatological prescriptions), one more tub than you have oils. Mix one oil into each tub and leave one unscented, label the tubs #1, #2 ect not with which oil but have a master list that tells you which oil is which #.

Then dip q-tips into each tub and place q-tips into a baggie, label the baggie # 1 or #2 to match the tub. You will need three or four q-tips for each tub baggie and a baggie from each tub for every subject. So if you have two oils and one unscented, each subject would get 3 baggies, labelled 1, 2 and 3.

You will need a short form for your subjects to fill out during the day. Maybe a 5 point scale from disagree strongly to agree strongly to rate four or five statements like

"I feel calm"
"I feel enegetic"
"I feel sad"
"I feel anxious"

Statements should be similar to properties of the oils.

Then have your subjects assess their mood a few times during the day with the form, say at 9am, 12noon, 4pm, 9pm.
Have each subject feel it out for 2 days using no products.

Then fill out another form for each day after applying the creme from one of the baggies to wrist or neck three times during the day, using a different baggie each day. Be sure to label the form as to which baggie was used.

You can then analyse the answers to see if the cremes had the effects the oils were supposed to produce.

It is important that the subjects not know which oil is which.

Answer 2

Aromatherapy is not "new age"; there's evidence of it being used as far back as the Egyption age. Also, there is plenty of scientific evidence backing aromatherapy. You just need to do a search through scientific publications. I realize neither of these had to do with your question, but I felt like I had to correct the previous poster.

For you science fair, I think you have a really good question to explore.

You could do something like take five different commonly used essential oils, which have different effects on the mood, and label them with letters or numbers. Have people smell each of them and tell you what the oils make them think of and how they make them feel. Maybe even if it reminds them of a certain color or season. You could read the data and make note of the similarities.

At the science fair itself, you could set up your table with the unnamed samples and next to them have some kind of folder, or flip up information sheet with unanswered questions on the top. The people at the fair could come to your table, smell the samples and ask themselves the questions before having access to the information.

I hope you get lots of ideas to work with. Just remember to only use pure essential oils, not fragrance oils, labelled with the plant's Latin name to avoid any confusion. Also, whatever experiment you end up doing, make sure that you don't tell people the name of the essential oil before they get a chance to smell it, so that you can take people's preconceptions out of the mix. Good luck with the fair!

Some websites that might help you get started:
http://www.aromaweb.com/
http://www.naha.org/

Answer 3

Talk to people that use it. I use it especially at night. Try using it yourself.
Put aromatherapy in your browser and go see what info is available.
I use Lavender to help me relax and sleep at night.
I use eucalyptus whenever someone has a stuffy nose or cold.
There are many different aromas that affect people in different ways.
You might also want to go to a health food store and talk to the manager or other salesperson there. They are always helpful.
Good luck with your project.

Answer 4

You'll have to prepare a survey for many people to fill out. Half will use aromatherapy and half none. The survey will be questions on their mood.

Answer 5

you have to test something that can be measured, this kind of reminds me of the "which treat does my mouse like best experiment that i did in 7th grade... and 8th grade with my hamster... but shhhh about that lol. i would advise hamsters and watching them and observing them in reaction to the smell, but that's sorta like animal testing which is wrong. typically science fairs don't allow human testing. and to use animals you need to fill out special forms.

Answer 6

Well, it would be a very difficult project to do for a science fair.

What is mood?
How do you measure it?
How do you control for other variables that may affect your mood?

Scent is one of the most powerful stimuli to the brain. In fact, the brain is in direct connection with the outside world in your nose !! The other senses connect to the brain in-directly.

That being said, the "new age" practice of "aroma therapy" has no scientific evidence behind it, which is typical of 98% of the woo woo.

Answer 7

.You can have a booth that smells great and another that smell foul and have the people switch on and off then ask them how they feel and what mood they are in.That will prove that the senses are responsible for our moods and how smells do as well.