Thursday, March 25, 2010

Things Adults Would Already Know If They'd Bother to Read Kiki Strike





(Above: The nicest ladies in the world.)

A recent study published in Psychological Science offers evidence that clean, pleasant smells can make you a better person. According to the Boston Globe, "The authors even suggested that clean smells could be employed as a tool to influence how people act." Oh really? You don't say!

The article is pretty interesting (if long). Here are a few of the highlights . . .

People playing a trust game in a citrus-smelling room treated their opponents more fairly.

The smell of some cleansers made people more likely to volunteer for a charity.

People walking through a mall were more likely to help fellow shoppers (by retrieving dropped items) if the smells of cinnamon buns and coffee were in the air.

A French study showed that people were more likely to help a female stranger if she was wearing perfume. (And even more likely to help if she was wearing Fille Fiable.)

The moral of this story? Take a bath every day. (And add a small bottle of fragrance to your spy-girl toolbox!)

26 comments:

MushroomCloud said...

ah, the innocence of age!!

MushroomCloud said...

but really- i couldve told them that even before i read kiki strike

Anonymous said...

my dad read the 1st book and so did i and i read the 2nd also. as i was reading this post i told him he needed to read the second because he really liked the 1st. who is with me?? kirsten, it would really help if you agreed with me!

Kitty said...

I call that... Brainwashing with perfume lol XD

Halley said...

I would so get Fille Fiable if it could help me at the ballet auditions coming up! I could do some pretty mischievous stuff with Fille Fiable, too! ;)

Anna said...

I need to take a shower badly, but i won't till at least 3 AM... There is something about the smell of soap and the feeling I should be asleep that thrill me... :)

The Golden Eagle said...

I REALLY don't like wearing perfume, (some kinds give me a headache) but I do take baths. :D

Rebecca said...

I don't have time to take baths(only showers) but I do love me some perfume!Thanks for the insight.:)

montana irregulars said...

wow the powers of smell!! does anyone have any ideas what I could do for a science project?? (chemistry)

ForresterVA said...

Adults. -sigh-

Anonymous cool girl said...

oh, the power of smell.
if only they new. ;)

Al Fonzo said...

montana irregulars: How bout an explosion of some sorts??

Kira said...

-Sigh- If only more people read Kiki Strike...then the world would be a far better place. (Or at least there would be more teens running around thinking they're gonna find an underground city like I do...all right, bad attempt at a joke.)

Anonymous Weekly Bloggers said...

Mwahahahahaha
Now I can Rule the World!

ForresterVA said...

Kira; No, you are right. If there were more teens doing that instead of running around for twilight memorabilia.

MushroomCloud said...

yeah I agree w/ Al Fonzo!bring on the explosions!! MUSHROOMCLOUD!!! can u tell I like big booms??!! NO SCHOOL!! for a wholle week! my brother has 2 weeks off. really. how inconsiderate.

montana irregulars said...

What kinda explosion? I need an original idea!!! I really love the explosion idea. There's this boy in my class that thinks he knows every thing about exploisons!! Has anyone read the luxe series of books?? Their really "fluffy" as my mom would say

Kira said...

ForesterVA: YES! Exactly! Kiki Strike is the antidote to all of this twilight madness! (no offense to any twi-hards that post here) i've been slowly introducing all of my twilight-zombie friends to kiki strike, and they've drifted away from their vampire vs werewolf ways! and for the record to any twilight fanatics: butt-kicking spy girls who don't have boyfriends (except for betty) are WAY better than any dumb girl thats stuck between 2 mythical creatures who in reality would eat her!

ForresterVA said...

Kiral; My thought exactly

Twi-hards; For a real vampire series, try some Cirque du Freak.

Rosemary said...

and thats why my im making my mom read Kiiki Strike!

bookshop said...

I am delurking solely to say:

JUNGLE RED! <3

EQ said...

I had a wierd dream that's sort of related to this. Somebody (an Irregular, presumably) was wearing Fille Fiable and trying to get me to believe something, but it was a flowery smell and apparently I was allergic to it--which, sadly, a lot of perfumes, and flowers, do to me--and I knew (in that wierd way you JUST KNOW stuff in dreams) that I could have had an adventure but I missed it because I couldn't stop sneezing and watery eyes.

When I woke up, I was very sad.

Then I saw this post.

Coincidence?

I think not...

Kirsten Miller said...

Anonymous: I agree! All dads should read The Empress's Tomb!

Rosie said...

Hehehe once, i squited hairspray up my nose to study for a test, and then the next day, throughly coated my head with it before the test. The theory that says smell helps u remeber things doesnt work..all i git was stiff hair and a b.

MorethanMe said...

way ahead of you! got my spy bag ready, lets roll! ;)

MorethanMe said...

ForresterVA and Kira: YAY!!!!! More twilight dislikers!!!