Question:
Why do smells trigger such vivid memories?
- Sara from Massachusetts
MegOnTheMind's Response:
Dear Sara,
When my grandmother smells an orange she is immediately taken back to memories of Christmas on her family's farm in Idaho because Santa always left her an orange at the bottom of her stocking.
But those Christmas mornings took place over 70 years ago - how come the smell of an orange today still triggers such intense memories for my grandmother?
The answer lies in the way that scent information enters the brain. Scents arrive at the mucus membrane inside the nose where they stimulate olfactory receptors. These receptors then send electrical impulses directly to a part of the brain called the "limbic system".
The limbic system includes two special brain areas - one involved in memory consolidation (the hippocampus) and another that processes emotion (the amygdala).
Other sensory systems, like vision, send their information through a relay station (the thalamus) before sending the information to the limbic system. Many scientists believe that it is this direct link from the olfactory receptors to the limbic system that allows for such strong connections between smells and memories.
That's what's on my mind, now you tell me, what's on yours!
-MegOnTheMind
MegOnTheMind© 2003-2006
Please note that while all submitted questions to MOTM will be considered, not all submitted questions will be able to be answered. Questions may be edited for clarity.
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