How Smells Awaken Our Memory

The sense of smell can bring back the brightest and happiest moments in your head.

The sense of smell can bring back the brightest and happiest moments in your head.

You smelled the familiar aroma of cologne, and an image of a loved one who wore a similar perfume immediately appeared in your head.

The smell of pancakes reminded me of Sunday mornings when I watched my favorite Disney cartoons on TV, and my mother was preparing breakfast. And the aroma of pine needles and tangerines revived warm memories of New Year’s Eve.

Such vivid and emotionally rich images that arise in response to smell are typical for most people.

French novelist Marcel Proust described a similar experience in his book Towards Swann: the smell of cakes made the hero feel a wave of pleasure and forget about the hardships of adult life.

He did not immediately understand where the pleasant experiences came from, and only after some time did he realize that the reason for everything was childhood memories.

Why Smells Evoke Vivid Memories?

It’s all about how our brain processes smells. When we inhale air, chemical molecules bind to receptors in the nose. Then, information about them enters the olfactory bulb — a paired formation in the front part of the brain — and goes further to the cerebral cortex, which recognizes it as a specific aroma.

Information from all senses is transmitted similarly, but the sense of smell occupies a special place since the primary processing of odors occurs in the brain structures responsible for emotions and memory.

The first structure forms emotions, especially anxiety and fear, and the second is associated with memory, associative thinking, and learning.

That’s why smells evoke more emotional and positive memories than visual images or words.

Of course, the aroma can also remind you of bad events. For example, in one experiment, the odor experienced while watching an unpleasant movie triggered the most damaging, arousing, and detailed memories.

And yet, for the most part, fragrances resurrect pleasant pictures from the past, filled with nostalgia for happy times. And this can positively affect health.

How Pleasant Smells Can Improve Your Health?

Because familiar scents evoke a strong emotional response, they can relieve stress.

Listening to music is often recommended for peace of mind and a good mood, but smells associated with positive memories cause a reaction twice as strong as listening to tracks.

One experiment found that when people smelled a scent associated with an autobiographical memory, they breathed more deeply, slowly, and relaxedly. Moreover, the more anxious a person is, the better the familiar smell affects him.

Another study found that scents associated with memories not only provide positive emotions, comfort, and happiness but can also reduce levels of inflammation in the body.

For example, smells can also help in the fight against addiction. In one experiment, familiar scents associated with pleasant memories helped smokers reduce their cravings for cigarettes.

So, if you know which smells trigger a rush of nostalgic feelings, try using them as a stress reliever. Please don’t overdo it: your nose quickly gets used to the aromas, and the method may lose its effectiveness with constant use.