Odors and Memories

Most people have experienced odors that tap into emotionally charged memories. One whiff of rubbing alcohol can bring back memories of a hospital stay; the aroma of baking cookies can transport the "smeller" back to childhood where Mama was baking cookies in the kitchen. Marcel Proust writes in Swann's Way about taking one taste of a Madeleine dipped in tea, and the taste and smell of that bite taking him back to when he used to have tea with his aunt, and she would dip a Madeleine in tea for him.

This curious phenomenon has its roots in the olfactory system. Although sensory neurons in the epithelium survive for only about 60 days, some smells can trigger memories of events that take place many years earlier.

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Category: Psychology - O