Tonya Reiman

When people are asked to define what communication means to them, they will often answer with the obvious: the act of talking or the telephone. The hearing impaired may answer that communication means sign language. What often fails to be acknowledged is that body language accounts for a significant amount of our communication. Body language is a type of nonverbal communication. According to Albert Mehrabian, nonverbal communication, by its narrowest definition, can be defined as actions that are distinct from speech (Mehrabian, 1972). These actions can include facial expressions, hand or arm gestures, and postures, amongst other body movements (Mehrabian, 1972). What many fail to understand about body language and nonverbal communication is that it is greatly affected by all of our senses. For instance, in analyzing body language it is important to study haptics (how touch is used in communication), oculesics (the interpretation of eye contact) and olfactics (how smell affects communication). The following article will explore how olfactics and our sense of smell can affect nonverbal communication. It has been argued that the sense of smell may be the most evocative of all the senses (Khan, 2001); however, it has only recently become a topic that has been studied in connection with nonverbal communication. Research began to blossom in the 1990s when researchers and psychologists became interested in the sense of smell and olfactory memory and its connection to mood, behaviour and communication (Magill and Rodriquez, 1993). Research conducted discovered that the way the sense of smell affects nonverbal communication is closely related to proxemics (Davis and Brantley, 2006). Proxemics is the study of how humans build and use space; it focuses on the ways that people "orient themselves to other individuals and objects in their immediate physical environment" (Leathers, 1986) and on the "perceptual and behavioural impact of these spatial orientations" (Leathers, 1986). Essential to the study of proxemics, olfactics and their connection to nonverbal communication is the realization that it varies between cultures. The interpretation of communication, be it verbal or nonverbal, is different for every culture. What makes communication difficult is that every culture has different parameters for what is acceptable, especially when it comes to personal space (Davis and Brantley, 2006). In North America, it is common for people to demand privacy; Americans demand their own offices and use tactics to ensure that they are adequately distanced from people, like large, bulky desks, for instance (Leathers, 1986). Differently, Arabs covet close intimacy and do not believe in privacy in the public sphere; they are offended if people do not show intimacy of contact while conversing (Leathers, 1986; Davis and Brantley, 2006). In a typical Arab conversation, it is common for the parties involved to touch hands and get so close to one another they share the same moist breath (Leathers, 1986). Saudi Arabian males often use the scent of each other's breath to gauge one another's health; if the scent of the breath is unpleasant, men often communicate to their partner that they may be unhealthy (Davis and Brantley, 2006). Similar to this, the Maori of New Zealand, in a ritual meeting practice, touch their foreheads and noses together so they can share the same breath (Davis and Brantley, 2006). Thus, the way olfaction and proxemics affect nonverbal communication is dependent on culture and varies from place to place. What about scents and smell affects communication? Research on this topic is new and sometimes inconclusive; however, more research is discovering that the potential exists for humans to receive and broadcast social messages through the release of pheromones (Weller, 1998). Pheromones are chemicals that animals emit that wield a behavioural or physiological response in another animal of the same species (Weller, 1998). Humans emit odors via skin glands from various parts of the body, most of which are concentrated in the underarm. The biochemical composition of these secretions is different for every human, as they depend on a number of factors, like genetics, hormones and one's environment (Weller, 1998). It is inconclusive whether these scents are processed consciously or unconsciously, but it is conclusive that our bodies respond to these scents; for instance, studies show that mothers can identify their children solely based on the smell of their clothing (Chen and Haviland-Jones, 1999; Filsinger and Fabes, 1985; Weller, 1998). Likewise, other studies show that children can identify their mothers and siblings based on scents. These studies show that body odors can provide important identifying information to humans (Weller, 1998). Odors and our sense of smell can help us in the identification of the familiar from the unfamiliar. Another way that body odors and smell affect communication is through the revelation of emotional states. Studies have shown that certain odors can be associated with certain feelings and emotions. Through the dispersion of these body odors, people can sense how others are feeling, helping in the communication of personal information (Leathers, 1986). In addition to this, it has also been discovered that synthetic odors can have an effect on mood and memories. Research shows that pleasant scents generally have a positive effect on mood and memory while unpleasant chemicals showed a negative effect (Chen and Haviland-Jones, 1999). The use of pleasant smells, like perfumes and colognes, may have positive impacts on people, making them feel happier and may elicit the remembrance of good memories. Body language and nonverbal communication permeate our conversations. People can send important signals through hand movements or eye glances. Recently, the study of olfactics, or how smell can affect communication, has become a topic that is receiving more attention. It has been learned that, through both the emission and reception of odors, humans can identify their kin. It has also been discovered that scents have effects on emotions and memory. The way people use, or accept, body odors varies greatly by culture; while Americans are easily repulsed by negative body odors, Saudi Arabians welcome them and use them in the interpretation of health. Communication is not just the act of talking but a complex behaviour that is influenced by all of one's senses.