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Researchers at the University of Southern Brittany drew the conclusion after observing that shoppers - if they were passing a bakery - were more likely to help a passer-by if they had dropped a belonging, reports the Daily Mail.
The study involved several young male and female volunteers standing outside a bakery or clothes boutique.
They would then drop a glove, handkerchief or packet of tissues near a shopper. This was repeated around 400 times.
77% of nearby shoppers outside the bakery handed the dropped item back to the volunteers, while only 52% outside the clothes boutique helped.
The findings are published in the Journal of Social Psychology, with a researcher stating: "Our results show that, in general, spontaneous help is offered more in areas where pleasant ambient smells are spread.
"This experiment confirms the role of ambient food odours on altruism."
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