The Nostalgic Nose: Exploring Scent and Memory

The things we smell are meaningful. They move us, sometimes closer, sometimes away, from things. We’re drawn to the smell of warm blueberry muffins baking in grandma’s kitchen. We’re offended by the smell of leftover tuna in our fridge. The former brings us in to a table while the latter encourages us to clean our fridge. No matter where a scent derives, it likely has some effect on us. This concept is why the fragrance industry is booming. People take great pride in how they smell. We understand that scent influences not only our mood, but the moods of those who surround us. Whether you’re trying to close a business deal, on a first date, or at a high school reunion; how you smell will carve out a memory for later. And that’s not just for you, but for those around you.

Have you ever felt a sense of nostalgia but were at a loss for explaining why? It could very well have been a particular fragrance rousing up an archived memory. Because scents influence our moods, they also attach to them. And months, years, even decades later, that same scent can lend itself to a bit of nostalgia, or a full on memory.

Let’s explore the connection between scent and memory.

The Science of Smell

Connecting memory and scent begins by understanding a central point: The olfactory system has a direct path to our memory system. We’ll try to avoid getting to “sciency,” but technically our olfactory system directly connects to our amygdala and hippocampus portions of our brains. And those two areas are key drivers of emotion and memory. Smell is powerful stimuli that influences emotions and inevitably, our behavior.

All of the above is widely understood across the world of marketing. In fact, it’s big business for major companies to pump scents into their businesses. Whether a trade show, a luxury hotel, or even that new car, marketing teams leverage the powerful effect that scent has on our brains.

And we see this all the time, particularly with our perfume samples. Many people order specific perfume samples, often vintage ones, for the purpose of experiencing nostalgia or transporting themselves back to a different time in their lives.

So what happens when we inhale a scent?

Well, keeping it simple, our olfactory receptors that reside inside the nose cavity send messages to the olfactory bulb, which then relays those signals into the brain. And thus, a memory carves out.

The portion of the brain where all this happens is the limbic system. The limbic system’s role in the brain is processing emotions and forming new memories. To restate, the olfactory system is the only sense that has a direct pathway to the limbic system. This makes our sense of smell one of our most powerful and often understated senses.

Because of all this, scents can evoke strong emotional responses. This often happens in a non-obvious way. For example, watching a sad movie results in an obvious feeling: sadness. You know when you turn the movie on where your emotional state will land. Scent doesn’t work that way, hence, why marketers who create scent environments in places you visit love it. It’s not obvious that anyone’s attempting to market anything to you. But in reality, marketers are trying to shift your emotional state to something that puts you more in the mood for whatever is for sale, or the environment itself.

Scents often trigger implicit memories. This is where things get good.

An implicit memory is an unconscious memory. This can lead to that feeling of familiarity with an event that you are certain you’ve never attended. Or it can lead to a nostalgic feeling.

There’s also the role of episodic memories. Scents can trigger explicit memories where one remembers all the specifics about the event or experience. For example, you might smell a perfume and suddenly feel reminded of your first love.

75% of our emotions are generated daily due to what we smell.

That’s more than any other sense accounts for.

Scent and Historical Cultures, Ceremonies, Traditions

We’ve shown the science that explains why scent is so powerful. We’ve briefly touched on marketers leveraging the power of scent to influence our moods. But there’s another important layer to peel away: scents in ancient culture.

There are many past cultures that have leveraged the power of scent in ceremonies and traditions. The list is very long so we’ll share a few for context.

Egyptian Civilization

The Egyptians used perfumes in religious rituals, burials, and in daily living. The believed that scents connected them to Gods.

Greek Influence

Greeks used perfumes in various aspects of life including public baths. Like the Egyptians, the Greeks of classical Antiquity believed that scent was a gift from the Gods.

European Middle Ages

Initially as Christianity spread, perfume use in Europe was suppressed. But later it was used for medicinal and health benefits.

Renaissance Revival

In some ways, the perfume industry was born during this time period as Italy and France began developing modern perfumery techniques.

20th Century and Beyond

Self expression and personal identity became central to the success of fragrances during this time period. Influences in a blossoming fashion and movie industry helped shuttle it along. Today, the perfume industry generates over $8 billion annually.

Final Notes

There’s undoubtedly a profound connection between our memories and the scents we wear, or are exposed to.

Evoke some of your most cherished memories by trying some nostalgic perfume samples. Or find perfume samples that use specific notes that are engrained in you from time’s past. Perfumes aren’t just about smelling “good” or “appropriate.” There’s so much more to it. There’s a lot of power in the things we smell.