The Science of Smell: How does it Work?
Article by PYP OYISTER staff member Lilly Seo
What smells make you happy? It could be the smell of gingerbread because it reminds you of baking with your grandparents. It could be chlorine because it reminds you of your summer home. It could even be garlic because it reminds you of your mother’s cooking. But do you know why the memory is so distinct? My name is Lilly, I am in the sixth grade and this is my PYPx topic.
PYPx stands for Primary Years Programme Exhibition. It is a celebration of the end of PYP and an introduction to the start of MYP. My topic is the science of smell. I'm making this article as an action to inform others about this topic. I will go into how scents create memories from different experiences, how scents affect your mind and body and the connection between taste and smell.
My first line of inquiry is, ‘Scents provoke different feelings from people based on experience’. This goes into scent memory, or different perspectives people might have on scents based on their encounters and experiences of the past. An important event in your life + a scent to go along with it can make you remember the event more. For example, I love the smell of rain and soil because it reminds me of the summer school I used to go to, and I love the smell of books because it reminds me of the library in my old school. When scents trigger deja vu, or a memory from the past, this is called the Proust Effect. The Proust Effect refers to a fragrance that triggers a nostalgic feeling from a major event in the past. It can be either a negative or positive emotion. The smell of metal might remind you of a traumatic event, but it might also remind you of being in the garage workshop with your dad. Your sense of smell is one of the only senses directly connected to your brain. This means that you can immediately tell when you like a certain scent or when you dislike a certain scent. So when your brain stores memories from major events, the sense of smell can help us remember better. This makes recalling memories of the past easier. This can also be why people’s opinions on some fragrances are different from each other. Different scents associated with different memories can cause humans to have contrasting opinions about them. I think it's weird when people like the smell of gasoline because I find the scent repulsive. But if maybe the smell of gasoline reminds you of a family member from your childhood, that might make you like the smell of gasoline.
My second line of inquiry focuses on exploring, "The physiological and psychological response to different fragrances." This means studying how your body and mind react when you encounter different scents. It's like investigating how certain scents can affect your thoughts and emotions. You might have heard of two sciences relating to this topic: aromachology and aromatherapy. Aromachology is the study of how scents can influence your mind. The smell of a home cooked meal and then feeling hungry, or catching the fragrance of a flower and feeling happy. These are examples of scents affecting your mood and thoughts. Aromatherapy, on the other hand, looks into how scents can impact your body. While there isn't much evidence that scents alone can directly change your physical body, inhaling certain things like cigarette smoke or toxic chemicals in the air can have negative effects. However, there are instances where inhaling essential oils can have positive effects on your body. Some essential oils can help lower your heart rate and blood pressure, making you feel more relaxed. It's interesting to know that your sense of smell is directly connected to your brain. When you smell something, tiny scent molecules travel directly to your brain, allowing you to recognize different smells easily.
My third and final line of inquiry is, ‘The relationship between taste and smell’. The partnership between our gustatory and olfactory senses has the ability to shape how we experience the world around us. When we eat or drink something, the scent molecules travel up your nose which is what creates a perception of flavour. This is why when you are sick and have a stuffy nose, you can't taste very well and foods start to become very bland. According to research, about 80% of what we taste comes from our sense of smell. Here's an interesting fact: in a study, it was discovered that popular candy companies like Skittles, rely on colourings and fruit scents to create the illusion of different fruit flavours. So, when we eat a Skittle, our brain associates the fruity scent with the colour to create the idea of a fruit flavour, even though the candy itself doesn't contain real fruit. This shows how closely linked taste and smell are, and how they can influence our perception of flavour. This is why smell disorders or sickness can influence your opinion on a food that used to taste good. When these senses work together, they can enhance our ability to taste things which allows us to appreciate foods more.
In conclusion, our olfactory senses play an important role in shaping our views and experiences of the world. Your sense of smell is very interesting as well as underappreciated. The olfactory system, as complicated as it is, is a fun topic to explore that more people should know about. From the power of scent to the partnership between senses, the way it shapes our emotions and perspectives makes it a topic that isn’t easy to get bored of.