The Effects of Essential Oils on Perception of Exertion and Task Pleasantness
Keywords:
exercise, environment, self-efficacy, enjoyment, performanceAbstract
Purpose: The current study sought to test the effects of essential oils on perception of exertion and exercise task pleasantness. Method: Thirty college students (24 females, 6 males) were recruited to perform a handgrip task. Participants were randomly assigned to placebo, bergamot odor, and peppermint odor groups. Adhesive strips were placed under the noses of all participants, with participants in the latter two groups having strips containing essential oils. The placebo group had a strip with no odor. After establishing a maximal voluntary contraction level, participants performed at 30% of their maximum for as long as they could tolerate, during which they provided ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) at 30 second intervals. Task-specific self-efficacy and Pleasantness were evaluated post-task. Results: One-way ANOVA analyses failed to reveal significant differences among the groups on session RPE, total grip time, and grip time up to and after RPE. Statistical differences were found between placebo and essential oil groups regarding task pleasantness. The placebo group reported higher pleasantness scores than essential oil groups. Conclusion: Although nonsignificant, findings suggest that bergamot essential oil may provide a more pleasant exercise experience than peppermint essential oil. This work expands the knowledge on the relationships between essential oils.
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Copyright (c) 2022 Katelyn Koser, Nicholas Madara, Lindsey Keenan, Lawrence Judge, Olivia Huffman, Selen Razon
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