Why do some people love certain scents while others hate them? How does smell influence our choices and actions? A psychological study of the importance of scent in our lives, from food to our relationships, written by one of the leading experts in the psychology of smell. The book is available in English.

Why do some people like a certain aroma and others hate it? Is smell personal or cultural? How does it affect our choices and actions? The Scent of Desire is the definitive psychological study of the importance of scent in our lives, from nourishment to procreation to our relationships with other people and the world at large. Located in the same part of the brain that processes emotion, memory, and motivation, this most essential of senses is imperative to our physical and emotional well-being. It was crucial to our ancestors’ existence and remains so today, profoundly shaping our emotional, physical, and even sexual lives. One of the world’s leading experts on the psychology of smell, Rachel Herz investigates how smell functions, what purpose it serves, and how inextricably it is linked to our survival in this compelling, surprising, delightfully informative appreciation of the wonders of this sadly neglected sense.