Sports

Lenny Kramer is sports store. He smells flowers, but he isn’t really paying attention to the aroma very much because he is looking at a pair of running shoes. They cost a lot more than he usually pays, but Lenny really wants those shoes. He’s the victim of “smart scents”, aromas that stores use to make customers buy more.

Across town, Lenny’s daughter Myra is taking a history test in a classroom that was recently painted yellow. Although Myra hates history, she seems to be doing well on this test. She likes the new colour of her classroom. She doesn’t suspect that it’s helping her on the test, but it is. Scientists have shown that yellow improves both memory and concentration.

We now know that odors, colors and sounds affect our moods and even our health. In fact, right now Lenny’s wife, Cindy is thinking about Lenny and Myra. She’s sure that Lenny is spending too much on shoes and that Myra is failing another history test. Cindy suffers from migraine headaches, but she doesn’t have a headache today. She’s in the garden and she hears birds and insect sounds. They always calm her down.