Can smell help us remember better than sight or sound?
Smell is closely connected to the brain’s memory center. That’s why the scent of a hospital, a particular medicine, or even herbal oil can bring back powerful emotions or moments.
But we often overlook the role of olfactory memory in healthcare. What if we used scent to:
Yes, definitely! It’s strange how one smell can bring back a whole moment like the scent of a certain soap reminding me of my childhood home, or the smell of rain hitting dry ground bringing back lazy summer afternoons.
Smell is strongly linked to memory and emotion but is often overlooked in healthcare. Using familiar scents can comfort patients, reduce stress, and support memory, especially in dementia care.
I think yes. There’s aromatherapy, that helps to deal with multiple effects in the system. A gentle calmness, that leaves the brain to settle down first. Then at that stable wave may be we are able to remember the missing memories. This aroma is connected to the region of the brain involved in emotions and memory - the thalamus and hippocampus regions.
Smell is invisible but deeply impactful and when used mindfully, it could become a gentle yet powerful support in healing, comfort, and memory care. Honestly it depends on memory with nature or someone which smells reminds you, of your memories.
Smell does have a strong connection to memory, sometimes even stronger than sight or sound. A familiar scent can instantly bring back emotions and memories. In healthcare, using calming or familiar scents could really help reduce stress, support dementia patients, and create a more healing environment. It’s a powerful tool that we should use more often.
Smell’s link to memory is powerful. Research shows scents can evoke stronger memories than sights or sounds. Leveraging olfactory cues in therapy, offering new possibilities for Alzheimer’s, PTSD, and learning.
Yes, absolutely! It’s funny, people used to recognize me just by my scent because I had a serious addiction to perfumes. My all-time favorite was Enchanteur—Desire; it had such a unique, unforgettable fragrance. Sadly, it’s no longer available anywhere, not even online. I have searched everywhere! I miss that smell so badly. It’s wild how a single scent can carry so many memories and emotions. Honestly, if scent can trigger such strong feelings, it definitely deserves more attention in healthcare and therapy.
All the time! I usually smell scents that remind me of childhood and fond memories, but some triggering reminders come through occasionally too. I think the human body relies more on smell than on sight or sound when it regulates its functions and decides the best course of action. Olfactory memory has been essential to human survival since the earliest of times. especially in terms of healing and self-defense, I can see why this could be useful even now.
“Olfactory memory” indeed plays a significant role in healing various conditions like it can be used in memory retrieval through hippocampal activation. Pleasant smells have also been found to have a connection with reduced pain perception among people with severe pain. Several research studies has spoken about the lavender oil, that helps in lowering anxiety by creating a calm through the activation of sympathetic nervous system and it also helps in the improvement of sleep quality. In some cases, olfactory stimulation can also encourage neuroplasticity through activation of dormant neural pathways.
So true, I have experienced memories associated with smell. With developing therapies and personalized medicine, making scent a part of a patient’s healing journey would be a great initiative.
Calm anxious patients?
Help dementia patients recall memories?
Make hospital environments feel less stressful?
