In some people ‘smell memory’ It may be more than some. The main reason for this is actually based on a psychological effect: the Proust effect.

You too Let’s see if this effect exists.

Scents influence us much more than we think.

This effect is reflected in that of Marcel Proust “In search of lost time” He came to prominence with the famous madeleine cookie scene in his work. While Proust had his protagonist delve into past memories as he tasted a cake, he also introduced a phenomenon he called the “Proust effect” into literature.

Proust effectIn short, it simply refers to the reawakening of our past experiences when we are exposed to sensory stimuli. Smells in particular can be more strongly imprinted in our memory than our other senses. Scientific research shows that smell influences long-term memory centers such as the hippocampus and amygdala via the limbic system in the brain.

That’s why a familiar scent suddenly reminds us of a memory from the past.

A 2021 study on this topic found that the smell location cells in the hippocampus It has been revealed that it can directly affect our long-term memory and navigational ability by activating it.

These findings show that scent is not just emotional; at the same time shows that it can also influence our perception of physical space.

Chemical particles reaching our nose are transferred to the thalamus via special neurons and from there directly to the olfactory center.

This center is our direct memory center, unlike our other senses. It is connected to the hypothalamus. Therefore, unfortunately, our old memories cannot help but come to life when we perceive a scent.

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