99- Scent, emotion and memories

8 April 2023

 
 
Scent, emotion and memories.
 
Have you ever wondered why a certain smell can bring back memories of old times? For me, the smell of vanilla brings back the memories of my mum and I baking together in the kitchen when I was a child. What is that special smell for you? And what does it symbolise?
 
 

Relation between smell and memory
What’s so powerful about smell?  Scent particles, in general, can revive memories that have been long forgotten.  The brain region that controls smell, emotions and memories are very much intertwined.
 
Scents that you smell goes strain into the brain’s smell centre, also known as the olfactory bulb. And the olfactory bulb is directly connected to the brain's experiencing of emotions. Which explains why smell can often trigger powerful emotional memories.

Fun fact! Did you know that smell is the only fully developed sense a fetus has in the womb? It is also the most developed in the child through the age of around 10, until our sense of sight takes over.
 
Childhood tends to be the phase of life when we create “the basis for smells you like and hate for the rest of your life”.
 
On a more personal level, the sense of smell plays a significant role when it comes to the attraction between two people. Research has shown that we tend to subconsciously choose our partners based on body odours. The actual strength of a person's attraction to their partner is mainly dictated by the release of pheromones, which is your partner's natural scent.
 

Now that you understand the relationship between scent and our memories, shall we move on to the relation between scent and emotions? Memories are always intertwined and associated with automatic emotions. When we experience a familiar scent, our brain correlates it with a certain emotion that comes together with it. For example, the smell of diesel can bring someone back to the memory of a fire, evoking unpleasant memories and emotions.
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Smell can affect one’s mood as well
Imagine walking into a room smelling like vanilla or white tea, your mood is likely to improve. But now imagine if the room smells like rotten fish, i’m sure most of us would definitely feel the opposite.
 
Smell can affect us in so many ways, be it evoking our memories or affecting our mood long or short term. I hope that your day is full of wonderful smells, emotions and memories!

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