Have you ever wondered why so few houses up for sale feature a display of books in their online photos? Well, new research suggests that not having books on display could cut sellers’ chances of getting the desired price.

Online bookseller Book Depository has released details of a survey of 1,000 Irish people which shows that the scent of books, especially new ones, ranks up there with the classic selling smells of baking, candles/diffusers, and flowers. 

The results showed that if a home contains a lot of new books and smells of new books it would make one in three potential purchasers think the owners are intelligent, while 30% thought the owners would be academic and 17% thought they have good taste.

And 13% of possible buyers said they were more likely to make an offer if the house smelt of books, trumped only by 32% for the the more obvious smells of baking, candles/diffusers (23%) and flowers (14%). 

Said the company: ““When we looked at wider results, it was therefore no surprise that more than 20% of those surveyed chose ‘new books’ as one of their top three smells. Naturally scent hits like freshly cut grass, baking bread, coffee and fresh laundry topped the list, but it was interesting to see that new books trumped the likes of bacon (15%) and even flowers.

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“This love for a new book smell could be down to how it makes us feel. Stress levels are through the roof, so it was interesting to find that 38% of those polled said that the smell of new books made them feel more relaxed, whilst 15% said they felt comforted and 13% said they felt calm.

“Clearly in these hectic times, we’re turning to scents that soothe us. This feeling of serenity may be linked to what the smell of a new book reminds us of, with 25% saying it reminded them of having ‘me time’ and 23% saying it reminded them of being read to when they were younger.”

Psychology professor and author Dr Neil Martin commented: “A new book delivers a scent cocktail which comes from two key components – cellulose which is found in the paper fibre and lignin which is found in wood pulp. The combination of chemicals that come from the paper, adhesive and ink have a unique impact on the brain that ignites our senses, whilst evoking memories of the past.

“It’s been shown that when you first smell a new scent, your brain links the smell with that moment. This means that when you smell it, even in years to come, you relive that memory. Many of us would have connected the smell of new books to when they were at school or learning, which could explain that fact that we draw a connection between the scent and intelligence or academia.

On the relaxation effect, Martin added: “It’s the vanalin chemical in the lignin that helps us to feel at ease. Vanalin gives off the smell of vanilla which is renowned for its calming properties. House hunting is a notoriously stressful experience, so perhaps the relaxing qualities in the scent of books is just what we need.

“This could be why those polled thought they would be more likely to put in an offer on a home if the new book smell wafted through the house.”

And now you can experience that new book smell without even buying a book. Book Depository, a subsidiary of Amazon, has created a scent, Eau de Book, a room fragrance that “delivers that signature smell we get when opening a brand-new book”.