Perfume as an Everyday Object - Research Proposal Example

 I have especially been allured by the different notes that exist in a single whiff of perfume. In short, I have selected perfume because even though each and every one of us knows about it we actually have very little knowledge about perfumes and the ability of perfumes to do wonders to one's mood.

Humans have a tendency to be drawn towards pleasant smells. Most people wear perfumes to make themselves happy. In fact today, besides finding perfumes in a bottle, perfumes are also added to various objects ranging from soaps, creams, candles, incense sticks to culinary dishes to make them more appealing in nature. People apply perfumes for various reasons and for different occasions. Perfumes are not only used to attract attention but are also used during meditation to calm the senses and in various aromatherapy massages to draw in a sense of peace.

All of us have used perfume and I believe that a bottle of perfume is extremely important in our lives. I hold a few assumptions about perfumes as well. I believe not everyone is aware of the notes that exist in one's favourite perfume smell. I also believe that men and women are drawn to the different smells in general for example while women may prefer more floral and lighter fragrances, men are drawn to more musky and stronger smells. I also believe that different smells initiate different sensations and remind people of different objects and settings i.e. shall initiate different memories.

Perfumes are a result of a complex science of extracting and mixing smells. I wish to conduct both a survey and an experiment. I would like to select 5 different notes of the perfumes and ask my subjects to describe the different smells and what each smell initiates in their mind or reminds them about it.

Next, I would like to ask a few questions about my subject’s favourite perfume in general to analyze the status of their knowledge about smells and fragrances.

For theoretical purposes, I would like to conduct a literature survey using keywords on different search engines. The words I shall use to look for and extract information includes- “Perfume”, “Perfumery”, History+ittar+ perfume”. “psychology and fragrance”, “perfume + moods”, “perfume + memory” and “smells and sensations.” To support my research proposal I would also like to conduct a general survey and experiment among a randomly selected group of subjects I will use 5 perfume strips of different smells (e.g. floral, musky, earthy, etc.) I shall ask my subjects to describe what each smell reminds them of. This would help me draw a conclusion about what effect each note has on the mood or the mind of the person and the ability of a note to ring a bell in a person’s mind. Using a structured questionnaire I would also be able to find out the notes of smells that are more popular among men and women and also understand the level of knowledge they have about the different notes that exist in the perfume of their choice.

As already explained before, I thoroughly believe that perfumes play an important part in our lives. However, most of us lack knowledge about different smells and notes. Conducting the proposed survey would help analyze the knowledge of the general population about smells and the popularity of smells as well. The small experiment would also help me analyze the effect perfumes have on the mind of people. I believe that knowledge about such effects on one’s mind can help one lead a healthier life as well and help one keep happy.