How is Scent Linked to Memory?
While walking down a street, you see a bakery that just got out freshly baked cookies. When the scent of the cookies reaches you, you suddenly remember the memories you had at your grandma’s house when you were young, making cookies with her. Why does this process occur?
When odorants come through your nose, it stimulates olfactory sensory neurons inside your nose. These neurons travel up until they reach the olfactory bulb, which is located right above your nose and on the bottom of your brain.
Then the information is processed throughout your brain to identify what you smelled and other sensory information. This process happens within 0.2 to 0.3 seconds, which is an extremely short amount of time. When the information through the nerves reaches the olfactory bulb, though, it also triggers memories due to the location of the olfactory bulb.
The olfactory bulb is directly connected to the amygdala and hippocampus. Amygdala processes your emotions, while the hippocampus processes memories. As a result, the scent you smell becomes connected to emotions and memories you’ve experienced in the past. This is why you feel nostalgic when you smell certain scents that make you remember your past.
Even though the nose does an amazing job, it’s more sensitive than other senses, which is why some people feel nauseous when smelling strong perfume for a long time. So don’t forget to give your nose a rest sometimes!
