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An alexithymic individual has difficulty, to a greater or lesser degree, in relating to sensations associated with emotion.
There is a partial overlap between the areas in human brain that deal with olfactory perception and those that process emotions.
Scientists divided study participants into three groups according to the severity of alexithymia (high, medium and low). They underwent a series of olfactory tests in order to investigate their reaction to different types of stimulation.
The scientists found that alexithymic individuals differ from others in their reaction to smells. What specifically distinguishes them are physiological parameters such as heart rate and electrical conductivity of their skin, which was found to be accelerated.
The tests also showed that there are differences in reactions between subjects characterised by affective alexithymia, in which the sphere of sensations, imagination and creativity is restricted, and those with cognitive alexithymia, which compromises the ability to identify, express and distinguish emotions.
The results obtained show that one of the characteristics of alexithymia is the altered physiological response to olfactory stimuli. Contrary to what one might expect, this study shows that the physiological reactions of alexithymic individuals to emotions induced by smells are not lower, but rather more intense. It is as if these subjects find themselves in a situation of perpetual, extreme activation in relation to their emotions, which appears to make them insensitive to emotional changes.
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