Have you ever had a smell that has touched you so deeply that you still can't forget it? I believe many people have had such an experience. In fact, 75% of human emotions are closely connected to the sense of smell, which can be called a loyal guardian of memory. Each smell may carry a unique memory story, and they are like a portal in time, leading us to travel through time and space and return to the past.
Have you ever had a smell that has touched you so deeply that you still can't forget it? I believe many people have had such an experience. In fact, 75% of human emotions are closely connected to the sense of smell, which can be called a loyal guardian of memory. Each smell may carry a unique memory story, and they are like a portal in time, leading us to travel through time and space and return to the past.
The brain connection between smell and memory
When we see, hear, touch or taste something, the sensory information first goes to the thalamus, which is the relay station of the brain. The thalamus then sends this information to relevant brain areas, including the hippocampus responsible for memory and the amygdala for emotion processing.
But with smell, it's different. Smell bypasses the thalamus and goes directly to the olfactory center of the brain, called the olfactory bulb. The bulb is directly connected to the amygdala and hippocampus, which may explain why the smell of something can trigger detailed memories and even strong emotions so immediately.
Why are smell memories so clear?
Scientists use VR experiments to crack
In order to verify the uniqueness of smell memory, the Max Planck Institute in Germany conducted an experiment:
Dual encoding:
let the subjects smell lavender while learning unfamiliar words in a VR scene. A week later, the test found that the accuracy of word memory with smell prompts increased by 40%.
Holographic storage:
The brain will package smells, scenes, and emotions into "memory files". When you smell the same smell, it's like entering a password to unzip the entire folder. This is why when you smell the perfume of your ex, even the heartbeat at that time seems to be reproduced.
The principle of the Proust effect is closely related to the brain's memory mechanism.
As a strong sensory stimulus, smell can directly act on the brain's emotional and memory centers. When a familiar smell is perceived, it may trigger the neural circuits associated with the smell in the brain, thereby awakening the memories and emotions associated with it. This kind of memory is often not just a simple information recall, but is accompanied by strong emotional experiences, such as joy, sadness, nostalgia, etc.