When I experience memories of my beloved maternal grandmother, Thelma, I remember the way she smelled of Palmolive soap and Shower-to-Shower powder. I think of snuggling with her as a child, warm hugs and smooches. To this day, if I smell either of those scents I get misty-eyed and miss her so much.
It's amazing how smell can bring back emotions and memories of things we may -- or may not -- want to remember.
I dug around and found some information on the website of Fifth Sense (fifthsense.org.uk), an organization established in 2012 by a man who lost his sense of smell as the result of a head injury in 2005. It's a charity that supports those with smell and taste disorders by providing education and information.
Fifth Sense says that the sense of smell is closely linked with memory, probably more so than any of our other senses. The ability to smell comes from specialized cells called olfactory sensory neurons. They are found in a small patch of tissue high inside the nose and connect directly to the brain.
Microscopic molecules released by things around us, whether it's coffee brewing or pine trees in a forest, stimulate the receptors.
Once the neurons detect the molecules, they send messages to the brain, which identifies the smell.
There are two pathways that smells use to reach the olfactory sensory neurons. The first is through the nostrils. The second is through a channel that connects the roof of the throat to the nose. Chewing food releases the aromas that access the olfactory neurons. If the channel is blocked, such as when our nose is stuffed up by a cold or flu, odors can't reach the sensory cells, and as a result we will lose much of our ability to enjoy a food's flavor.
The perfume industry is built around the connection between smell and memory. Smell is also extremely important when it comes to attraction between two people.
People can have completely different perceptions of the same smell, too. A perfume might smell "aromatic" or "heady" to one person and "overpowering" or "nauseating" to another.
According to an article on the website of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov), when we are triggered by certain smells, it's called odor-evoked memory, or the "Proust phenomenon." That name refers to the novelist Marcel Proust, who experienced childhood memories after biting into a madeleine, a small sponge cake, that had been dipped in linden-flower tea.
And memories triggered by odor tend to evoke more emotional recollections than those triggered by other cues.
There is ongoing research dealing with the concept of harnessing odors to induce emotional and physiological responses that can improve human health and well being. Studies have found that odor-evoked memories tend to be positive, so odors can be especially helpful for enhancing mood.
One study using men and women aged 21 to 38 found that when they were presented with a scent of perfume that was personal for them, the subjects experienced positive emotion, increased comfort and happiness and a decrease in anxiety.
Another study performed an in-depth analysis of odor-evoked nostalgia by using 12 common scents. It demonstrated that high levels of aroma-evoked nostalgia were associated with higher levels of self-esteem, social connectedness, optimism and life meaning.
The next time we feel down or stressed, maybe we should consider what they call "comfort-smelling" by seeking out odors that trigger feelings of love, support and comfort.
Using odor-evoked memory to reduce stress would prevent the negative consequences that often accompany self-medicating methods such as excessive drug, alcohol and food intake.
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rboggs@arkansasonline.com
ActiveStyle on 12/18/2017