The Smell Factor and Our Memory
Our sense of smell is directly linked to the area of our
brains that controls our memories. The slightest hint of
an odour can transport us thousands of miles to some of our
earliest memories—even to those we were not aware
that we had.
With our sense of smell, every odor when broken down to its
smallest component is a chemical formula. Chemicals
formulas are molecules in specific configurations. When we
smell, a chemical formula rises in the nose and lands on
thousands of smell receptors which identifies the molecules
and forwards the information to the brain.
That our sense of smell is most closely related to our
memory is no surprise given its location. Olfactory
receptors are located next to the limbic system which,
according to anthropologists, is the most primitive part of
the human brain and where our emotions reside. It is the
site that controls or modifies our emotional and sexual
responses, our hunger and thirst responses, and our anxiety
and fear responses.
It also controls our artistic abilities, our perception of
space as well as regulating our body temperature, and our
ability to think. It receives and stores information from
all of our senses. Essentially, it's our master control.
When we inhale a scent, the sensation of its odour is first
relayed to our cerebral cortex, where cognitive recognition
occurs. However, before we are able to recognize the
scent, the deepest part of our brain becomes stimulated.
Thus, by the time we are able to recognize the pine scent
of a Christmas tree, its scent has already activated our
limbic system and we are transported back to our childhood
memory of decorating Christmas trees from our past.
In this same way, when we smell the gingerbread scent from
a votive candle, we instantly think of our grandmother's
kitchen, or making cookies with her when we were children.
It isn't surprising, then, that studies conducted by Dr.
Rachel Hertz suggest that our memories which are triggered
by our sense of smell are more emotional than our memories
triggered by our other senses.
In one study subjects were given visual (an object), verbal
(the name of an object) or olfactory (the scent of an
object) stimuli and asked to write down their responses to
them.
While responses to visual and verbal stimuli tended to be
longer, those to olfactory stimuli tended to be
memory-based.
Some of the fragrances that help to increase memory include
sweet basil, peppermint, rosemary and thyme.
----------------------------------------------------
Luke Vorstermans is the founder of The Sense of Smell Lab,
a world leader in the development of innovative products
that use our sense of smell to influence behavior, trigger
memories, manage cravings, enhance moods and improve sexual
health. To learn more about enhancing your sex drive, go
to http://www.scentuellepatch.com
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