In our most recent post we talked about why our brains make the past appear rosier and we even got a brief introduction into autobiographical memories. Today we’re continuing our trip down memory lane by talking about another important memory component: smell. How many times did it happen to you to smell some freshly baked cookies and feel as if immediately transported to your grandma’s kitchen, right the night before Christmas? Did you ever wonder why that was? And why does this effect seem to be so much stronger for smell than for any other sense?
If you’ve read our post about memories, then you know that autobiographical memories (the memories you have about yourself and events in your life) are usually more detailed compared to other types of memories. Basically, these memories are not made up only of factual information, but they also contain details about your particular emotions, as well as information from your senses (sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell). What makes smell stand out, however, comes down to how connections between sensory and memory areas are organized in the brain.
Normally, on its way to more specialized brain areas (such as memory areas), information from your sensory organs has to pass through a brain region called the thalamus, which in turn relays the information to the appropriate brain areas. Smell, however, is special, in the sense that it completely bypasses the thalamus. Furthermore, before reaching the olfactory cortex, i.e. the area where information about smells becomes consciously perceived, smell makes a pit stop in the olfactory memory and processing areas of the brain. Practically, that means that we memorize and process a smell before we’re even aware of what it is.
The olfactory cortex is also connected to two important emotion-related areas: the amygdala and the limbic system. Again, memories with an emotional component, such as autobiographical memories, tend to be more vivid and longer-lasting. And since the sense of smell is directly connected both with your memory, as well as emotion processing areas, it becomes no longer surprising that various smells are able to trigger such strong feelings and memories.
So next time you’re baking cookies and they end up reminding you of Christmas at your grandma’s, you’ll know it’s because, much like those cookies, your sense of smell really is special.
What did you think about this post? Let us know in the comments below.
And as always, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook to stay up-to-date with our most recent posts.
Sources
Olfaction and emotion: The case of autobiographical memory
Santa’s Lie
Română As children, we’re taught that lying is bad and we should absolutely never do it. But as we grow up, we often land in morally gray areas: should you tell your short-tempered boss that the countless hours spent in Zoom meetings make you want to poke your eyes out or would it be better…
Holidays and Mental Health
Română Winter holidays are supposed to be times full of sugar, spice, and everything nice, but even the most Christmas-cheerful among us have to admit that the reality doesn’t always meet these expectations. On the contrary, the expectation of “a great time” or even “the perfect holiday” tends to bring about a lot of stress…
Christmas Cheer in the Brain
Română We all have that one friend who, as soon as December 1st strikes, breaks out the Christmas decorations, starts blasting “Jingle Bells” all day long, and goes on and on about how “’tis the season to be jolly” (hint: if you can’t think who that friend might be, it’s probably you). But what makes…
Neurofeedback – Reality or Myth?
Română One of the most popular methods in neuroscience and cognitive psychology is to correlate various behaviours, either normal or abnormal, with different patterns of brain activity. An implicit hope when it comes to abnormal behaviour is that, if we are capable of isolating the brain region which shows a dysfunction in relation to the…
Why Do We Sleep?
“Why do we sleep?”, your kid might ask in an annoying, but curious voice over and over again as you actually start falling asleep. But do you actually know the answer to that? “Just resting our eyes and shutting down our brains, sweetie!” Wrong again, Karen. If you think it shuts down, like a computer…
On the English Bias in Science Communication
Română In the scientific world, English has become the dominant language. Most scientific articles are published in English, most advanced science books are written in English, and most scientific conferences are held in English. In theory, this sounds great. By having all scientists capable of speaking the same language, one basically eliminates this barrier, thus…
Smartphones: The flip side that no one saw coming
Written by Vyoma Shah One cannot deny the immense use of smartphones in everyday life. From taking a cab to ordering food or finding romantic relationships, it’s all within one tiny magic box that fits in your pocket. In fact, scientists have been working on software that can tell you if you are intoxicated based…
Does your thinking influence your language or vice-versa?
Written by Vyoma Shah On a Sunday morning, after a run, as I entered my dorm room, I saw my roommate laughing hard about something she saw on Instagram. Out of curiosity, I asked her what was so funny and she showed me a joke on her phone in her native language Malayalam, one of…
One thought on “The Smell of Memories”