Has a smell ever brought you back to your childhood?? Did you teleport to another place? This is the most primary type of memory and has a great connection with our emotions.. What if, all this is known as olfactory memory.
It is important to clarify that the sense of smell is a chemical system. Therefore, is responsible for detecting the chemicals that generate aromas in the environment. This processing is essential for survival., since it helps us detect substances that can become risky for our lives, like spoiled food. in addition, is one of the most effective senses. This is because it enters more directly into the brain structures that process its information..
But is it possible to educate the nose? can you hear the smell? Does the smell get old? The digital age is favoring the loss of sensitivity to everything that is not visual. We are at a time when everything must enter through the eyes, and although social networks have become a catalyst for relationships, people, increasingly, they need to smell each other, approach and look, using products that help them feel better and reinforce their identity. Smell is fundamental for the human being because it is a chemical way of detecting what surrounds us. It has been proven that brain frequencies change depending on fragrances and taste. Does the perception of odors change with age? Sensitivity decreases slightly with age, but in exchange there is more experience with which it is compensated.
As we know, those we perceive by smell are not easily rationally filtered. Even so, has an impact on emotional and social aspects. There are several processes that occur in the brain to help consolidate the information of the olfactory memory, among them are the following:
- Perception. It consists of capturing the external aroma to identify it and differentiate it from the rest. The result will be a mental representation of the aroma and it will be related to a meaning.
- Sensation. Here, an interpretation and subjective representation of this aroma is made. In most cases we associate it as pleasant and unpleasant..
- Emotion. In olfactory memory, this aspect takes on a great role., it is mainly processed by our emotional brain. Therefore, It is usually the most relevant aspect of this type of memory..
- associations. In this case, emotion usually wins prominence. Therefore, associations of specific elements and situations are made with the aromas and over time this memory can be voluntarily evoked.
- Storage. It is related to memory that remains in the long term, which is the case with most olfactory information. This process is usually influenced by the context and personal characteristics.
Definitely, we must understand that olfactory memory, through its direct communication channel with our decision centers, plays an important role in our lives Learn to educate the sense of smell!
