Here's a little science lesson for you on the sense of smell & memory ♥
{Olfaction} is the function that allows a direct connection to the brain thereby creating a sense of smell. There are sensory cells in the mucous membrane of the nasal cavity and the membrane is stimulated when chemical particles are dissolved in the mucous.
The olfactory nerve in the brain ends with the olfactory bulb. The olfactory bulb is located high in the roof of the nose (between the eyes) and just above a small bone in the skull that has tiny holes. When the smell receptors are stimulated in the nasal mucosa they enter the tiny holes where they enter the olfactory bulb in the brain. The signals are then carried to a part of the brain called the limbic system (the rhinencephalon) where the smells are then analyzed.
What you perceive as an odour, is really the chemical particles that were stimulated. The brain can analyze over 10,000 different fragrances. Our sense of taste can only register 4 types of taste. Therefore, without our sense of smell, food would taste fairly bland. So when you have a cold and your sense of smell is blocked, so is your sense of taste.
{Smell and Memory}
A smell can bring on a flood of memories, influence people's moods and even affect their work performance. Because the olfactory bulb is part of the brain's limbic system, an area so closely associated with memory and feeling it's sometimes called the "emotional brain," smell can call up memories and powerful responses almost instantaneously. Think about the memories you have for when you smell something that reminds you of your childhood. For example the smell of chlorine you might associate with summers at the pool or lilies with a funeral. When you first smell a new scent, you link it to an event, a person, a thing or even a moment. Can you think of a smell that may trigger your memory and own emotional response?
Aromatherapy works in the same way. For example you may have a relaxing aromatherapy massage treatment using a certain essential oil like lavender and then each time you smell that oil your memory will be taken back to the time you were relaxed and you will feel the same way each time you smell that oil. Your smell calls up that memory and evokes that emotional response.
Smell has a powerful influence on the nervous system. Fragrance can influence mood, evoke emotions, counteract stress or even reduce high blood pressure.
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{Olfaction} is the function that allows a direct connection to the brain thereby creating a sense of smell. There are sensory cells in the mucous membrane of the nasal cavity and the membrane is stimulated when chemical particles are dissolved in the mucous.
The olfactory nerve in the brain ends with the olfactory bulb. The olfactory bulb is located high in the roof of the nose (between the eyes) and just above a small bone in the skull that has tiny holes. When the smell receptors are stimulated in the nasal mucosa they enter the tiny holes where they enter the olfactory bulb in the brain. The signals are then carried to a part of the brain called the limbic system (the rhinencephalon) where the smells are then analyzed.
What you perceive as an odour, is really the chemical particles that were stimulated. The brain can analyze over 10,000 different fragrances. Our sense of taste can only register 4 types of taste. Therefore, without our sense of smell, food would taste fairly bland. So when you have a cold and your sense of smell is blocked, so is your sense of taste.
{Smell and Memory}
A smell can bring on a flood of memories, influence people's moods and even affect their work performance. Because the olfactory bulb is part of the brain's limbic system, an area so closely associated with memory and feeling it's sometimes called the "emotional brain," smell can call up memories and powerful responses almost instantaneously. Think about the memories you have for when you smell something that reminds you of your childhood. For example the smell of chlorine you might associate with summers at the pool or lilies with a funeral. When you first smell a new scent, you link it to an event, a person, a thing or even a moment. Can you think of a smell that may trigger your memory and own emotional response?
Aromatherapy works in the same way. For example you may have a relaxing aromatherapy massage treatment using a certain essential oil like lavender and then each time you smell that oil your memory will be taken back to the time you were relaxed and you will feel the same way each time you smell that oil. Your smell calls up that memory and evokes that emotional response.
Smell has a powerful influence on the nervous system. Fragrance can influence mood, evoke emotions, counteract stress or even reduce high blood pressure.
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