Subliminal smells can guide social preferences.

Abstract in brief

• Subliminal smells can influence social preferences by altering how likable neutral faces appear, especially when people are unaware of the odors.
• The study found that this odor-based influence was significant only in participants who couldn't consciously detect the odors, and the effect lessened as people became more sensitive to smelling.
• Additionally, heart rate responses to odors were linked to the scent's pleasantness or unpleasantness regardless of whether participants were consciously aware, suggesting different automatic and conscious processes at play.]