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Have you ever walked past some completely unfamiliar place, yet from the whiff of the smell of it, been transported to a personal moment of yours? Or perhaps that specific scent evoked an emotion you may have forgotten about or hadn’t experienced in a while, yet in that fleeting moment, you were reliving that seemingly forgotten piece of the past. The answer to these questions is likely to be yes, since, interestingly enough, you are sharing this confusing, yet delightful experience with, most likely, the majority of the world.
The evidence explaining this universal phenomenon is likely to be inspired by a short passage by a well-known author by the name of Marcel Proust who, over a century ago, very simply put into words this experience we all encounter.
The simple act of dipping a madeleine in a warm cup of tea evoked a whole new, yet familiar dimension of emotions in him, as he explains it in his book:
“No sooner had the warm liquid mixed with the crumbs touched my palate than a shudder ran through me and I stopped, intent upon the extraordinary thing that was happening to me. An exquisite pleasure had invaded my senses, something isolated, detached, with no suggestion of its origin. And at once the vicissitudes of life had become indifferent to me, its disasters innocuous, its brevity illusory – this new sensation having had on me the effect which love has of filling me with a precious essence; or rather this essence was not in me it was me. … Whence did it come? What did it mean? How could I seize and apprehend it? … And suddenly the memory revealed itself. The taste was that of the little piece of madeleine which on Sunday mornings at Combray (because on those mornings I did not go out before mass), when I went to say good morning to her in her bedroom, my aunt Léonie used to give me, dipping it first in her own cup of tea or tisane. The sight of the little madeleine had recalled nothing to my mind before I tasted it. And all from my cup of tea.”
The Proust Phenomenon, as many call it, has been investigated and various research has produced evidence that explains why and how this phenomenon occurs.
The neuroanatomy behind the link
The main aspect that enables this link between scent and memory is the neuroanatomic overlap between the structures and circuits involved in memory encoding, recognition and retrieval and the pathways involved in olfaction (sense of smell).
The pathway that is undergone when a smell is detected starts from the olfactory neurons that are located in the upper part of the nose. They generate an impulse that reaches the brain through the olfactory nerve, and their first destination in the brain is the olfactory bulb. This structure processes information and signals about smells and then passes the information about the smell to other areas closely connected to it. These areas are also known as the limbic system, and the structures crucial to this link are the hippocampus and amygdala, which are both highly involved in the processing of emotions and memory. Scent information is the only information that is processed in these areas, so that is why the sense of smell is so tightly linked to our memories, in comparison to every other sense.
Research done with the help of fMRI scans examines the different parts of the brain involved when people are trying to remember past experiences with the presence of odors or pictures. The outcome is that areas of the brain that process emotions are much more active when people recall memories with the help of odors, in comparison to the help of pictures. It is important to note that this evidence relies on the fact that memories are highly emotionally charged, and this doesn’t cover the whole domain of memory and retrieval, since scent plays a role in episodic memory (the one related to personal events), but not so much with other types of memory.
This aspect is why in recent times, this link is being transformed into a powerful tool called:
Scent Marketing
The general definition given is:
“Scent marketing uses unique olfactory markers to elicit emotional reactions and trigger memory recall by stimulating the olfactory system. The sense of smell generally triggers memory recall and evokes emotional responses more than any other sense.”
Due to the fact that scent evokes personal memories and emotions, which often make people feel or act in certain ways, many industries are using this to trigger a certain emotion in potential clients, either to inspire them to buy their product or to invest in creating a brand identity that incorporates a signature scent, as to improve their sales. This addition can be a powerful tool since our association is done unconsciously and we mainly cannot control the reactions we have.
The perfume industry is based on this, with their aim being the development of fragrances that convey a vast array of emotions and emotional states, such as desire, power, relaxation and so on. Even businesses that don’t have any sort of connection to the perfume industry can benefit from the power of scents immensely, since having a signature scent incorporated into the workplace can create a strong impression on the clients. The right scent can enable an instant emotional connection with the customer and make the shopping experience more memorable. Different scents represent different emotional states, so the careful selection of the scent you are associated with is crucial, since each individual will be drawn to the emotional state they want to experience.
The next time a simple smell creates an incomprehensible emotion in you, remember that your brain is searching through its archival storage of information.
Zoi Pavlovska
Bibliography
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258430509_Odor_memory_Review_and_analysis
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282159259_Olfaction_and_memory
https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/7296965-no-sooner-had-the-warm-liquid-mixed-with-the-crumbs
A.P.E. 
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