The Mysterious Power of Fragrance
Hello everyone!
Firstly If you haven't seen it, I definitely recommend you to watch this movie.
- Perfume-The Story Of a Murderer.I was very impressed when I watched it.
Let's get back to our topic.
Have you ever recalled a memory from your childhood with the smell you heard while walking in front of a bakery? Or has it happened that just the scent of sunscreen takes you back to those blissful beach vacations? Your answer is probably yes, right? This is based on scientific grounds. Because of its unique relationship with the brain, scent has a powerful effect on your memories, emotions and even thoughts. The sense of smell, which can affect our daily life positively and negatively, works for 24 hours and never turns off. This sense, which is the body's first and most descriptive testing mechanism, instantly evaluates whether an environment is good or bad.
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How does smell affect your brain?
Smell, unlike other senses, bypasses the thalamus, which is one of the biggest intermediate stops of the communication system between the body and the brain, and reaches the olfactory bulb, the region that processes odors. This region is directly connected to the amygdala and hippocampus regions responsible for memory and emotions. The ability of odor to trigger emotions and memories is due to its entry into the brain via the frontal cortex, in other words, a characteristic unique to odor. This feature of the fragrance is so strong that a unique vanilla scent can take you to a memory you love or make your loved one's face come to mind.
How does smell affect your memories and emotions?
The amygdala, the part of the brain where emotions respond to certain stimuli, just like smell; The hippocampus is known as the place where short-term memories turn into long-term memories. The storage of shared odors and memories in the hippocampus region actually explains why odors are associated with certain memories and are only recalled when we hear that odor again.
Because the relationship between smell and memory is so tight, you can use your sense of smell to recall good memories or develop a positive emotional state. For example, burning incense at home in the evening is a great way to unwind and feel good at the end of the day. You can use fragrances in almost every aspect of your daily routine, from essential oil-based perfumes to incense. With the right scent choices, even any of your actions can turn into an enjoyable ritual. All that aside, the fragrance has such a feature that it deserves to be the bonus of this article.
"Scent in history is so important in influencing people that although she was not a beautiful woman, Cleopatra, who was the Queen of Egypt in the 12th century, became famous in her time with the scents she had prepared by the Egyptian priests, and created a great impact with the essences including the rose.
Smell affects mood, memory, emotions, mate selection, immune system and hormones. The human nose can distinguish approximately 13 thousand odor molecules from each other, and it is thought that between 3 and 8 thousand molecules can be felt with full acuity and effectiveness. There are about a thousand different olfactory receptors in the nose. In addition, it is thought that about five million neurons are responsible for perceiving the sense of smell and transmitting it to the relevant centers. The nerves transmitting the smell are the slowest and thinnest nerves in the organism.
Rosemary STRENGTHENS MEMORY
'Rosemary plant' significantly increases the learning and perception capacity and memory ability. Rosemary essential oil strengthens both short-term and long-term memory. In the study, conducted at Northumbria University in Newcastle, people whose memory traits were tested were placed in two separate rooms. Rosemary essential oil was sprayed in one room and normal perfumes in the other. As a result of the evaluation, it was determined that rosemary essential oil increased learning capacity and increased memory by 60-70%. Therefore, both rose scent and rosemary essential oil have very positive effects on learning and memory faculties.
SMELL IS SIMPLE, THE BRAIN SHOWS ACTIVATION
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The middle part of the thalamus on the right side of the brain and the lower part of the frontal lobe on the right side of the brain are activated more like perfume in more intense odors. The left cerebral hemisphere is activated in simpler odors. However, this does not mean that some part of the brain is working more. Studies have shown that the middle part of the thalamus in the right brain hemisphere and the lower part of the frontal lobe are more activated when we smell the smell with a high density. However, whether the smell is intense or simple, the same areas of the brain show more or less activation.
THE WORD IS GOING, THE SMELL REMAINS :)
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When it comes to memory, the sense of smell, which is always focused on visual and auditory stimuli, is neglected. However, the sense of smell is a very important factor in terms of storing information in memory. While all other senses first reach the limbic system after passing through the thalamus filter, the sense of smell reaches the limbic system directly without passing through the thalamus and instantly affects our behavior.
IT AFFECTS OUR DAILY LIVES
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They are transferred to the brain later than the other senses, but memory also takes up much more. When the odor perception reaches the olfactory center in the brain, the brain decodes the codes determined by previous experiences and enables the odor to be recognized. The effects of odor on behavior and emotions can be explained by these connections. Smells also bring to mind some events in the past in connection with them. A familiar perfume smell that we come across while walking on the road reminds us of our friend who used that perfume. In addition, each person has a unique skin odor, just like fingerprints. We can perfectly remember things we learned in the same physical conditions such as temperature and smell, together with the presence of certain stimuli, when the same conditions are recreated and the same stimuli are given to us again. If a group of words in a foreign language is memorized in an environment that smells of jasmine, for example, these words can be remembered much better in an environment that smells of jasmine. Because smell helps activate your semantic memory of these words.
PLEASANT SCENTS INCREASES PRODUCTIVITY
Scientific studies show that perceptible fragrances validate consumer desires, increase workplace productivity, and aid health and medical conditions. A trial at a casino in the USA showed a 48% increase in gambling revenues after a fragrance was given to the test area. As a result of the trial, it is understood that the noticeable odor in the air makes the customer feel better and increases the desire to gamble.
LOSSING THE SENSE OF SMELL CAUSES FORGOTTENESS
The loss of the sense of smell is called anosmia, its decrease is called hyposmia, and the perception of bad odor is called cacosmia. Anosmia may occur in various organic diseases such as brain tumors and exposure to chemical substances, and in the use of some drugs such as cocaine. Anosmia directly affects memory, and can also create distraction. It can even occur among the first symptoms of serious forgetfulness diseases such as Alzheimer's.
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Thank you for reading.
