(The following piece is from Tesh.com, the website of syndicated radio host John Tesh and his "Intelligence for Your Life" program.)

According to MSNBC, manufacturers, stores, hotels, and casinos are using scents to make you feel happier and more confident about their products and brands. It's not just marketing mumbo-jumbo. It actually works.

Martin Lindstrom (pictured at left) is the author of Buyology: The Truth and Lies About What We Buy. He says scent has a huge impact on our spending habits because smells bypass our rational brain, and tap right into our emotional core. Smells trigger emotions on a subliminal level, so you won't think about why you feel a certain way; you'll just feel something. You might get into a new car and immediately feel happy and at ease. Or you could enter a hotel or casino and feel excited and energized.

The emotions will stick with you. A study from Rutgers University found that certain scents not only improve a shopper’s opinion of a product, but they're more likely to remember that product two weeks later. That's why more and more companies are using smells to market their products, like Sony electronics stores. They waft a secret mix of vanilla, mandarin and bourbon around their stores. Each of those scents plays a different role. For instance, the vanilla makes women, who may feel uncomfortable in an electronics store, feel more at ease, the scent of mandarin makes people think the store is classy, and the subtle scent of bourbon makes men feel welcome.

Other retailers use relaxing scents like lavender, which is proven to slow down a shopper's heartbeat and stretch their perception of time, making them stay in the store longer and spend more money.

Scents can evoke a range of emotions. Vanilla makes people feel protected because it reminds them of breast milk. Woody smells give you a feeling of security and solid values. Cigars and leather are trustworthy smells – that’s why a lot of law firms use leather and wood in their décor. Fruity smells make you feel summery and open minded.

That’s why car companies, hotels, and stores have started using scent marketing – everyone from Express clothing stores to the Mandalay Bay resort in Vegas have custom smells. So the next time you get a whiff of Coconut Spice you’ll remember what a great time you had losing money at the Mandalay Bay.