You don't need a calendar to tell you which season you're in. One whiff at your favorite coffee shop, candle store, bakery, brewery or even beauty store, and the scent of pumpkin in the air will let you know.
From pumpkin beer to body wash, pumpkin is the reigning flavor of fall. But the funny thing is, most of these products don't actually contain any pumpkin, says Dr. Marcia Pelchat, a sensory psychologist who studies the factors behind food preferences at Monell Center, a nonprofit taste and smell institute in Philadelphia.
"What they do contain is the spices that are associated with pumpkin and pumpkin pie: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg. These are basically aromas," Pelchat said.
So, what is it about pumpkin — or the spices used to enhance pumpkin — that makes folks so ga-ga for the gourd this time of year?
"We think people's reactions to smells are almost completely learned," Pelchat says. "So, through shared cultural experience, a lot of people find that these spices remind them of the holidays and comfort foods and make them feel relaxed."
There even have been reports the smell of pumpkin pie acts as an aphrodisiac — especially for men, she adds.
A sense of urgency also has something to do with pumpkin popularity, Pelchat says.
"If it's something seasonal like the green milkshake and the pumpkin coffee, people feel they have to go and get it before it goes away," she says.
