This is a scientific Americans 60 second science. I'm Karen Hopkins. This will just take a minute.

They say that the nose nose, but it still gets its marching orders from the brain, at least when it comes to the lungs.

Nose to brain to lungs. Got that? Good. Because a new study shows that when people with asthma

think they're smelling something noxious, their airways become inflamed, even when the

odor is harmless, the findings in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research.

Asthma attacks can be triggered by pollen, dust, harsh chemicals or sense.

These environmental annoyances can strict the airways in the lung,

making breathing difficult.

In this study, researchers wanted to see whether an individual's assumptions

have any influence over this breathtaking series of events.

So they expose 17 asthma sufferers to a benign chemical that smells like roses for 15 minutes.

Nine subjects were told the fragrance was a potential irritant, the other eight that it would be therapeutic.

The results were as plain as the nose on your face.

Subjects who expected an irritant experienced inflammation,

and those who were primed to be soothed had no adverse reactions even if they were normally

bothered by perfumes. The results suggest that a rose by any other name would smell

as sweet or be as irritating as you expect it will.

Thanks for the minute.

For Scientific Americans 60 Second Science, I'm Karen Hopkins.

I'm Karen Hopkins.