Smelling the grass or a pastry activates the brain areas responsible for emotions and memories! Figure 3 - Smell is sent through the olfactory bulb (yellow) to the amygdala and hippocampus areas (orange).
Many studies have found a connection between odors and powerful memories. Scientists believe that smell and memory are so closely linked because the anatomy of the brain allows olfactory signals get to the limbic system very quickly.
Odors are claimed to be more closely connected to affect than other sensory experiences. They can serve as potent contextual cues for memory formation and emotional conditioning and can also serve as cues for olfactory flashbacks.
Specific trauma-related smells (for example blood, napalm, diesel) have long been noted by clinicians to be precipitants of anxiety and fear-related memories in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Kline and Rausch, 1985, Vermetten and Bremner, 2003).
Smell underlies our ability to taste and it can act as an early warning sign for our brains. For people who have been through trauma, smells can bring back bad memories.
Smells have a stronger link to memory and emotion than any of the other senses. You might have noticed that the smell of grass and rubber cleats can bring back the memory of childhood soccer games in starker detail than watching a home movie of one of those games.
This new research suggests a neurobiological basis for privileged access by olfaction to memory areas in the brain. The study compares connections between primary sensory areas — including visual, auditory, touch and smell — and the hippocampus. It found olfaction has the strongest connectivity.
Although there is some controversy on the subject of "racial" variation in body odor, it is determined that African blacks probably produce the greatest amount of apocrine sweat, which is the known substrate for axillary odor.
“Olfactory has a strong input into the amygdala, which process emotions. The kind of memories that it evokes are good and they are more powerful,” explains Eichenbaum. This close relationship between the olfactory and the amygdala is one of the reason odors cause a spark of nostalgia.
A whiff of freshly cut grass, a roast dinner – and crayons, are the top smells that take us back to our childhood. A poll of 2,000 adults revealed that roses, sweets and Play-Doh also ranked highly among the scents that trigger memories of growing up.
"Rosemary is known to stimulate the mind and the memory." In research conducted at Northumbria University in the UK, inhaling rosemary essential oil improved both speed and accuracy on demanding mental tasks, and raised memory test scores by more than ten percent.
The top three nostalgic fragrances that take people back to a beloved memory are: Sun Lotion. Freshly Cut Grass. Wildflowers. 29% of people say warming fragrances like vanilla or cinnamon help them relax the most.
Peppermint
A known energy booster, peppermint invigorates the mind, promotes concentration and stimulates clear thinking. It is one of the best scents for focus. Find uplifting peppermint in our Onsen collection, along with eucalyptus and mandarin.
Our ability to remember new information peaks in our 20s, and then starts to decline noticeably from our 50s or 60s. Because the hippocampus is one brain region that continues producing new neurons into adulthood, it plays an important role in memory and learning.
Although any of our senses are capable of inducing nostalgia, it seems like hearing music or smelling something familiar are the two most powerful triggers.
Smell. If you didn't sniff this answer coming by now, then you need your nose checked. Smell is in fact the strongest human sense, and contrary to popular belief, may be just as powerful as the snout sniffers in dogs and rodents (to certain degrees).
Flashbacks may seem random at first. They can be triggered by fairly ordinary experiences connected with the senses, like the smell of someone's odor or a particular tone of voice. It's a normal response to this kind of trauma, and there are steps you can take to help manage the stress of a flashback.
Medically reviewed by Marilyn Folk, BScN. Phantom Smells, such as odd, strong, acrid, metallic, blood-like, sour, ammonia-like, acidy, and repugnant smells, to name a few, are common anxiety disorder symptoms.
Given that odors enhance the retrieval of autobiographical memories, induce physiological arousal, and trigger trauma-related flashbacks, it is reasonable to hypothesize that odors play a significant role in the pathophysiology of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The survivor may begin to avoid situations and stimuli that they think trigger flashbacks. They will react to this trigger with an emotional intensity similar to that at the time of the trauma. A person's triggers are activated through one or more of the five senses: sight, sound, touch, smell and taste.
Peppermint Essential Oil
Studies conducted at the Sense of Smell Institute indicate that peppermint oil has mood-elevating properties that make it useful for alleviating symptoms of anxiety and depression. It can help to enhance mood and mental performance and relieve feelings of sadness.
The sense of smell can and should be used to reduce tension and stress. That is why there is a relaxing, stress reducing type of spa treatment called aroma therapy, much like massage therapy, but using pleasant scents to arrive at the same goal.