The Hidden Force of Fragrance

Thanks to a growing body of research, scientists are gaining a better understanding of the link between smell, emotion and wellbeing. Faces appear more likeable when paired with pleasant (even imperceptible) scents, and appear less likeable when paired with nasty odors. Individuals with higher levels of anxiety have a heightened sense of smell and anosmics (those people without a sense of smell) are more insecure and prone to depression.

Stress makes things smell worse and bad smells generate stress. People are 40% more able to detect a smell with a dangerous association from the past versus a smell with a neutral association. Citrus in the air has been found to influence tidiness positively, which may explain the proliferation of lemony scented air fresheners. Smell, beyond all other senses, has the capacity to stimulate old, vivid and powerful memories – an observation dubbed by science as the Proust Phenomenon.

Perhaps the most overlooked aspect of scent is its impact on health and wellness. Studies indicate that the smell of spiced apples can lower blood pressure, aromatic oil massages can relieve anxiety and depression in cancer patients, and a concoction of rosemary and lemon in the morning, and lavender and orange in the evening can increase cognitive ability of individuals with Alzheimer’s.

With all the benefits of scent wafting in the air it’s important to stop and smell the roses.

I wish you all the best,

Dr. Samantha Boardman

Why Is Making Friends As An Adult Difficult?

According to Aristotle, there are three kinds of friendship. The first is strategic—both people get something out of it. The second type of friendship is pleasurable—these friends have fun together and provide good company. While useful and enjoyable, these friendships function only when both people are getting what they want from the other. The third type of friendship, the truest kind according to Aristotle, transcends self-interest and this tit for tat. It is based on goodness. Both people admire the goodness in the other and are committed to bringing out the best in one another.

In college, it is likely that you made all three kinds—the friend who took great History notes, the friend you liked to party with in your dorm, and the friend who was and remains a source of strength. Not only were they there for you during tough times, they also encouraged you to embrace opportunities and to challenge yourself and you did the same for her. It’s definitely harder to make friends after college but it is also an opportunity to cultivate the third and deeper form of friendship, the kind that is based on good will and shared values (not just because you live in the same dorm).

Your workplace is a good place to start. Do you have a “work friend” who you would like to spend more time with? Make an outside of the office plan with them. Initiate conversations that are not work related and avoid office gossip. Be open and curious without providing TMI. Listen generously. Avoid office gossip. Make an effort. Be patient. Building connections takes time but it is worth the effort. Studies show that people who have a good friend at work are more productive, happier, and less stressed.

I wish you all the best,

Dr. Samantha Boardman

How To Take Criticism Like A Pro

We humans are really good at dwelling on stuff that make us feel bad. This negativity bias was helpful to our ancestors when survival depended on avoiding distress, danger and discomfort. It helps explain why criticism stings so much and why a negative comment eclipses anything positive.

Just because we are hardwired to be sensitive doesn’t mean that we have to take everything so personally. One of the best strategies to defang the sting of criticism is to dissect it. Recognize that the negative comment is about something specific and not an indictment of you as a human being. If your manager thought your presentation wasn’t good enough, it does not mean that you are not enough. You are not your presentation. When you separate the comment from yourself you gain perspective and will be more open to actually hearing what the other person has to say.

I wish you all the best,

Dr. Samantha Boardman

Jessica Seinfeld

Mother, New Yorker, founder of Good+ Foundation and author of Food Swings, a delectable cook book that speaks to the realities of how we want to eat — good stuff and bad…

Does Chilling Out Stress You Out?

Does going on vacation stress you out? You are not alone. I have a number of patients who have difficulty winding down. As one patient explained, “The more I try not to think about work, the more I think about work.” Another patient actually dreads downtime: “I miss the high energy of being at the office.” A third patient rejects the notion of being told what to do: “I told my wife, I cannot be told to relax on command.”

Downtime can be a challenge. It’s less about being a workaholic and more about the need to have your mind occupied all the time, whether it’s listening to the news while showering or a podcast on the way to work or jogging, watching tv before bed or playing CandyCrush in line at the salad bar. Every free moment is filled. And those with high-powered jobs aren’t the only ones who suffer from this. Children often don’t know what to do when they have nothing to do.

But the benefits of alone time abound. Studies show that solitude is crucial for the development of the self. As highlighted in a study entitled, Solitude: An Exploration of Benefits of Being Alone, solitude is associated with freedom, creativity, intimacy, and spirituality.

Spending time alone means growing spiritually, discovering your identity without outside distractions, having the freedom to do what you want without needing to cater to other people’s wants and thriving creatively.

Meditation and other relaxation techniques are useful ways to make downtime more tolerable and also productive. By gaining control over one’s thoughts, the little annoyances like traffic jams and waiting rooms become less stressful and the big questions become less daunting.

These days I spend a lot of time talking to my patients about how they spend their days. I prescribe at least 15 minutes a day, every day, of doing NOTHING. As a result, their mind-set about free time has shifted. Instead of thinking of downtime as a source of anxiety, they now think of it as a privilege.

Best of all, they look forward to vacations.

This article first appeared on The Wall Street Journal

I wish you all the best,

Dr. Samantha Boardman

How To Conquer Fear From A Man Who Swims With Sharks

William Winram is a record-holding free diver (no cage, no breathing apparatus) and a chance encounter with a shark over 25 years ago changed his life for the better. He was spearfishing for his dinner 800 meters offshore when he felt something to his right. That something was a tiger shark, and he was petrified with fear — tiger sharks are notoriously aggressive and known to take bites out of divers. However, the shark he met that day didn’t behave at all like a shark in horror movies. Winram recalls the meeting in an Australian newspaper:

“My experience was to the contrary. I got a shy and curious predator who was scared off when I lunged to pick up my spear. When I was swimming back to shore I could see the shark swimming beside me but at a set distance. If I swam towards her she would swim away, if I swam away she would come closer again but she would always maintain the safe distance between us.”

The experience made him re-think everything he thought he knew about sharks.  Since then he has been working as a conservationist and educator, committed to rehabilitating the shark’s image. He regularly free dives with Great White sharks and has learned a number of lessons along the way that translate into human life lessons:

1. Replace Fear with Knowledge

By closely observing and watching sharks, Winram has learned to literally swim with sharks. Rather than panicking and swimming away or being paralyzed with fear, he faces the shark head on. “If you don’t act like prey, they won’t treat you like prey.” He recommends a counter-intuitive approach if a shark is coming toward you – swimming right at the shark. The shark, like all things we are afraid of, is de-fanged when approached with greater knowledge and less fear.

2. Make Eye Contact

Winram recommends keeping eye contact with the shark at all times. “Once we make eye contact, the shark knows we have seen them and therefore taken their advantage away. This generally gives us the advantage and keeps them from slipping into an instinctual mode.”

3. (Mental) Preparation

Contrary to what people think, the most important breath is not the last breath free divers takes before diving. According to Winram, the most important breathing is the breathing he does “in the six to eight minutes leading up to the dive that’s oxygenating your blood and your tissues … You need to be able to go into that kind of Zen place where you’re completely relaxed, but with a wide open focus.” Controlled breathing promotes calmness and enhances focus (thereby keeping fear at bay). Being aware of one’s mind and body — and taking good care of them — are priorities, in free-diving and in life.

4. Pay Attention

“When we’re around sharks we need to be 100 percent focused.  As soon as you’re less than 100 percent focused, that’s when they begin sneaking in and seizing the advantage.” Free divers are never on autopilot because a moment of inattention could have disastrous consequences. A vigilant focus when swimming with sharks is essential for survival. Paying attention to what matters in life is essential too — part of this is recognizing that first impressions aren’t always correct.

5. Never Swim Alone

Winram always free dives with at least two others, and they all watch each other’s back. In addition to constantly being on the lookout for sharks, diving with others is essential because a risk of diving is blacking out. Survival depends on his connection to his team. There’s no more literal metaphor for life.

6. Enjoy the Beauty

Winram thinks of swimming with sharks as a privilege. He is in awe of their majestic beauty and grace and has tremendous respect for the creature he has learned so much about and that has taught him so much about himself. Through knowledge and experience, it is possible to reframe perceptions. What was initially scary to Winram became a positive, life-altering calling.

I wish you all the best,

Dr. Samantha Boardman