Scentsational Sex: The Secret to Using Aroma for Arousal [Hardcover]

Alan R. Hirsch (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Psychiatrist Alan Hirsch, the neurological director of the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago, made headlines worldwide with his studies of the scents men and women find most sexually stimulating. In this book, Hirsch discusses why smell has such a powerful effect on our minds and emotions, and supplies ample information on using odors to improve the quality of your romantic life. Of course, the most interesting part of the book deals with the surprising results of the foundation's studies: that men respond most powerfully to such sweet scent combinations as pumpkin pie and lavender, while women seem to go for a whiff of Good & Plenty candies mixed with cucumber. It may seem strange, but Hirsch provides the research to back up his claims. --Ben Kallen, Personal Growth editor

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Element Books (April 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1862042411
• ISBN-13: 978-1862042414
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,022,662 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dr. Alan Hirsch, a Neurologist and Psychiatrist who specializes in the treatment of smell and taste loss, is the Neurological Director of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago, IL. He is a Faculty Member in the Department of Medicine at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center, and Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology and Department of Psychiatry at Rush Presbyterian St. Luke's Medical Center.

Since being accepted into medical school at the age of 16, Dr. Hirsch's career has been dedicated to studying the sensory system of the human body. He lectures frequently around the country, and has conducted and published over 180 research studies on sensory phenomena. His 20-plus years of research regarding the impact of smell and taste on weight loss led him to develop the patent-pending technology used in the Sensa Weight-Loss System.

As America's foremost researcher on the effects of odors and flavors on human emotion, mood and behavior, Dr. Hirsch has helped create the sensory experiences for thousands of products and places, from the refreshing fragrance of your favorite shampoo to the welcoming scent in a hotel lobby. In fact, there's an excellent chance that at least once in the past four days, you've come in contact with a product or place he's helped to odorize!
Dr. Hirsch has been featured in major magazines and has appeared on Dateline NBC, CNN, Good Morning America, Extra and the Food Network.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A little Science and much Speculation, March 14, 2002

By 

Daniel Brockman (Petaluma, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Scentsational Sex: The Secret to Using Aroma for Arousal (Hardcover)

The Author mentions some hard science about the olfactory aspects of sex. However, the author often uses words such as "may" and
"possibly" and so much of the book consists of honest and informed speculative commentary. Probably nine out of ten people who pick up this book are looking for a list of aphrodiasiac (ok, we know they don't exist) or near-aphrodiasiac scents, and that takes a lot of reading to find what could fill a page. (The answers are Pumpkin Pie and Vanilla and a few others.) This is a genuinely scientific book, pitched at the high-school level of intellectual accomplishment.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a very good read on this subject,aroma and sexual attraction, April 24, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Scentsational Sex: The Secret to Using Aroma for Arousal (Hardcover)

Put away your potions and pills the aphrodesiac of the 21st Century will "scenter" on what is in the air..really in the air. While seemingly another book on how to make yourself and/or your partner attactive, Dr. Hirsch takes a different course on how your partner's mind feels about the time, place and you. The book is surprising in that the clinical results are there to back his claims that everyday odors, and not the sweet or manly colognes, will set the mood . Now if they only can bottle the stuff that works without you coming off like Choo Choo Charlie

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Honest Truth, September 28, 2009

By 

boolean - See all my reviews

This review is from: Scentsational Sex: The Secret to Using Aroma for Arousal (Hardcover)

I have to admit that the cover of this book is what initially drew me in, but it turned out to be a great read with tons of interesting facts. The part I liked best was in the section "What Men Can Learn about Women". The book mentioned a survey conducted in Wales that found that 70% of women thought men who wore cologne or aftershave were sexier than those who don't. Now I know why my girlfriend gets me cologne every xmas! I guess I better start wearing it. It also talked about how women are more sensitive to odors than men in general which explains why my girlfriend always avoids dishes with garlic whenever we eat out. There were many more tidbits in there, way too many to mention, but I can highly recommend this book to anyone interested in spicing up their relationship, or even just understanding the opposite sex better.