Reading the Mind through the Nose: Mentalizing Skills Predict Olfactory Performance
A growing body of literature suggests a close link between olfaction and social expertise. The current study examines whether mentalizing skills are related to olfactory discrimination performance. In order to assess their mentalizing ability, 21 women and 20 men completed the “Reading the Mind in t...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-05-01
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| Series: | Brain Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/12/5/644 |
| _version_ | 1797501156023336960 |
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| author | Katrin T. Lübke Tobias C. Blum Bettina M. Pause |
| author_facet | Katrin T. Lübke Tobias C. Blum Bettina M. Pause |
| author_sort | Katrin T. Lübke |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | A growing body of literature suggests a close link between olfaction and social expertise. The current study examines whether mentalizing skills are related to olfactory discrimination performance. In order to assess their mentalizing ability, 21 women and 20 men completed the “Reading the Mind in the Eyes” test (RMET). Here, the participants have to infer other persons’ mental state from photographs of eye regions. Odor discrimination was assessed using the “Düsseldorf Odour Discrimination Test” (DODT). The DODT consists of 15 items, each containing mixtures of four monomolecular substances. Within each item, two bottles contain the same mixing ratio, while the third contains the reversed mixing ratio. The participants had to identify the deviating odor. Women’s expertise in mentalizing (RMET score) is strongly related to olfactory discrimination performance (DODT score): The better women are in mentalizing, the better their performance in olfactory discrimination (rho = 0.572, <i>p</i> = 0.042, Bonferroni-corrected). Men’s mentalizing capability was unrelated to olfactory discrimination (rho = −0.117, <i>p</i> > 0.999, Bonferroni-corrected). The current results suggest that the social skill of mentalizing might underly the link between olfaction and social integration, at least in women, and are discussed with regard to the social nature of human olfaction. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:14:18Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2068045051694768948ccc2d0cc8e582 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3425 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:14:18Z |
| publishDate | 2022-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Brain Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-2068045051694768948ccc2d0cc8e5822023-11-23T10:18:22ZengMDPI AGBrain Sciences2076-34252022-05-0112564410.3390/brainsci12050644Reading the Mind through the Nose: Mentalizing Skills Predict Olfactory PerformanceKatrin T. Lübke0Tobias C. Blum1Bettina M. Pause2Department of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, D-40225 Düsseldorf, GermanyDepartment of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, D-40225 Düsseldorf, GermanyDepartment of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, D-40225 Düsseldorf, GermanyA growing body of literature suggests a close link between olfaction and social expertise. The current study examines whether mentalizing skills are related to olfactory discrimination performance. In order to assess their mentalizing ability, 21 women and 20 men completed the “Reading the Mind in the Eyes” test (RMET). Here, the participants have to infer other persons’ mental state from photographs of eye regions. Odor discrimination was assessed using the “Düsseldorf Odour Discrimination Test” (DODT). The DODT consists of 15 items, each containing mixtures of four monomolecular substances. Within each item, two bottles contain the same mixing ratio, while the third contains the reversed mixing ratio. The participants had to identify the deviating odor. Women’s expertise in mentalizing (RMET score) is strongly related to olfactory discrimination performance (DODT score): The better women are in mentalizing, the better their performance in olfactory discrimination (rho = 0.572, <i>p</i> = 0.042, Bonferroni-corrected). Men’s mentalizing capability was unrelated to olfactory discrimination (rho = −0.117, <i>p</i> > 0.999, Bonferroni-corrected). The current results suggest that the social skill of mentalizing might underly the link between olfaction and social integration, at least in women, and are discussed with regard to the social nature of human olfaction.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/12/5/644olfactionolfactory discriminationsocial skillsempathytheory of mindmentalizing |
| spellingShingle | Katrin T. Lübke Tobias C. Blum Bettina M. Pause Reading the Mind through the Nose: Mentalizing Skills Predict Olfactory Performance Brain Sciences olfaction olfactory discrimination social skills empathy theory of mind mentalizing |
| title | Reading the Mind through the Nose: Mentalizing Skills Predict Olfactory Performance |
| title_full | Reading the Mind through the Nose: Mentalizing Skills Predict Olfactory Performance |
| title_fullStr | Reading the Mind through the Nose: Mentalizing Skills Predict Olfactory Performance |
| title_full_unstemmed | Reading the Mind through the Nose: Mentalizing Skills Predict Olfactory Performance |
| title_short | Reading the Mind through the Nose: Mentalizing Skills Predict Olfactory Performance |
| title_sort | reading the mind through the nose mentalizing skills predict olfactory performance |
| topic | olfaction olfactory discrimination social skills empathy theory of mind mentalizing |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/12/5/644 |
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