Cool colors: color-induced nasal thermal sensations.

Full Abstract

We asked subjects to sniff a bottle containing distilled water and to say whether they felt a cooling or warming sensation in the nasal cavity. Odorless food coloring was added to three of these bottles so as to obtain one yellow, one green, one red and one colorless solution. Subjects were presented with each bottle four times under free viewing conditions or while blindfolded, and each nostril was tested separately. Although no thermal stimulus was present, subjects reported thermal sensations, but only under free viewing conditions. The nature of these sensations depended on the color of the solution, with green inducing cooling and red warming sensations. It also depended on which nostril was tested, with warming sensations evidenced only when the left nostril was tested, and cooling sensations only when the right nostril was tested. It is the first time color has been reported to induce nasal thermal sensations in the absence of thermal stimuli. These results are therefore entirely new. Furthermore, they suggest that thermosensory processing and judgment may depend on lateralized processes in the human brain.

Learn Faster Today Improve your study skills

Author information

Author/s: Michael, George A (GA); Rolhion, Pauline (P);

Affiliation: University Lyon 2, Dpt Cognitive Experimental Psychology & Neuropsychology, Laboratoire d'Etude des Mécanismes Cognitifs, 5 Avenue Pierre Mendès-France, 69676 Bron Cedex, Lyon, France. George.Michael(-atsign-)univ-lyon2.fr

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article

Journal: Neuroscience letters (Neurosci Lett), published in Ireland. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2008-May; vol 436 (issue 2) : pp 141-4

Dates: Created 2008/04/21; Completed 2008/08/13;

PMID: 18372109, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

External Links for this article (including full text providers, if available):

Click Electronic Full-text Provider Links to see options for finding the electronic full text links to this article. Note there may be a subscription or fee required for access to the full text. See our FAQ for information on finding FREE full text articles.

This article may also be located in paper journal collections available in many libraries. Use the Journal and Publication Information above to find the full article.

MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adolescent
Adult
Color
Female
Humans

Mental Processes - physiology
Nasal Cavity - physiology
Physical Stimulation - methods
Sensory Thresholds - physiology
Temperature Sense - physiology

These are the highest related articles currently in the database:

See 100+ related articles.