Aside from the ability to delight our households with a warm, soothing atmosphere and swoop in to save the day when thunderstorms aggressively command darkness, there are various reasons why candles are the perfect companion.

1. Creating a Comfy Ambience

Whether we’re hosting company or preparing for a well-anticipated date, there’s no denying that candles are crucial when we want to set the mood. The way the flame dances once you light the wick and the ruminating symphony of smells come together to take you to another world. 

Studies have suggested that scents such as lavender, jasmine, orange, and ylang-ylang are among a few that have a positive impact on mood. While they may be used in air fresheners, the scents will be localized to the area you spray and fade quickly. Burning candles allows the aromas to reach into multiple spaces throughout the house and allow them to linger for hours.

2. Gateway to the Past

A first-class trip to your desired destination may sound amazing, but the scent of your favorite candle can take you where a plane can’t — back in time. When you get a whiff of something, it’s processed by the brain’s olfactory bulb, which is connected to the amygdala (responsible for processing emotion) and hippocampus (responsible for memories). 

Personally, whenever I wake up to the scent of citrus cleaning products or bacon frying, I vividly remember many school mornings when my mother would come into my room. I would try to get a few extra zzzs, but she could smell the lie of me pretending to still be asleep every single time. But you know what they say … a mother nose best! 

Scented candles can send you on a sensory journey. What other delightful spaces, places, and times could scented candles transport you to? 

3. Help Maintain Focus

For eons, candles have been used during meditation — a practice that has proven to increase creativity. When we’re busy and our imaginations are running away with and from us, the flickering flame gives us something to concentrate on during our meditative rituals. 

4. Amazing Decor 

We always talk about our decorative “good towels” that spice up our bathrooms. Can we talk about our “good candles”? When you bought your first house or rented your first apartment, it wasn’t just the scent of the candles that lit your home up — it was also the color. With a wide variety of colors and sizes, candles can add an air of elegance and cheer to your current and future color schemes. They are a high-impact and low-expense element that will make your decorating that much more to DIY for!

5. Your Own Ritual

As we all go through the hustle and bustle that life brings, it’s easy to forget our rituals, let alone maintain a routine. I remember being a young kid and seeing my mom light her candles and run her bath water after a long day. While my carefree (and bill-free) 4-year-old mind couldn’t comprehend why she did this often, experiencing some of the stressors of life, a now 22-year-old me understands. As I too, now engage in this ritual, it provides an extra layer of tranquility and untethered peace that is elevated by the enjoyment of my candles. 

Studies show that acquiring a ritual can reduce anxiety. One experiment noted in the scientific journal Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes consisted of participants being ordered to step up to the mic and sing the hit “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey in front of a crowd of unfamiliar faces. Members in one group were asked to partake in a ritual before performing, while others did not. Those who did the pre-performance ritual had lower heart rates and reported feeling less anxious and better about their singing than those who hadn’t performed a ritual. How much would the positive implications of rituals be maximized if one had their favorite scent burning away during it?