Smells can revoke powerful and emotional memories from the past more efficiently in comparison to sounds, finds a new study.
A well-known idea called the "Proustian phenomenon" proposes that distinctive smells have more power than any other sense to help us recall distant memories, the Telegraph reported.
Anosmia
Anosmia is the inability to perceive smell. Most patients with anosmia complain of losing the sense of taste (ageusia) and of not enjoying food.
Advertisement
The theory is named after the French writer Marcel Proust, who in his novel 'A la recherche du temps perdu' (In search of lost time) describes a character vividly recalling long-forgotten memories from his childhood after smelling a tea-soaked madeleine biscuit.
Experts have suggested that the special impact of odour on our memory could be related to the proximity of the closeness of our olfactory bulb, which helps us process smells, and the amygdala and hippocampus brain regions which control emotion and memory.
![Dogs Can Tell Identical Twins Apart by Smell]( "Dogs Can Tell Identical Twins Apart by Smell")
Identical twins have their own individual smells, even if they live in the same house and eat the same food.
However, although the theory is well-known anecdotally, no studies have been able to firmly establish that the phenomenon even exists.
Now researchers could have gone a step closer to proving it after an experiment showed smells trigger more detailed, arousing and unpleasant memories of painful experiences than sounds.
A team from Utrecht University in The Netherlands recruited 70 female students and played them video footage designed to provoke aversion, such as car accidents and reports on the Rwandan genocide.
While the film was played, the smell of cassis was pumped into the room, coloured lights were directed onto the back wall and neutral music was played in the background.
A week later, the participants were asked to recall their memories of the film while exposed to either the same smell, lights or sounds used in the initial screening.
Those who were given the cassis smell remembered more details about the film and found their memories more unpleasant and arousing than those who had the background music as a memory trigger, although the lights and the smell were equally effective.
Researchers said that there was no difference between the triggers in two other categories measuring how evocative and vivid the memories were.
Re-testing participants after a longer period than one week could produce more distinctive results, they said.
he researchers said that the findings "do not confirm the Proust phenomenon", but could prove useful for research into post-traumatic stress disorder, which causes patients to recall vivid and painful experiences.
The study has been published in the Cognition and Emotion journal.
Source: ANI
Dogs Can Tell Identical Twins Apart by Smell
Identical twins have their own individual smells, even if they live in the same house and eat the same food.
Advertisement
However, although the theory is well-known anecdotally, no studies have been able to firmly establish that the phenomenon even exists.
Now researchers could have gone a step closer to proving it after an experiment showed smells trigger more detailed, arousing and unpleasant memories of painful experiences than sounds.
A team from Utrecht University in The Netherlands recruited 70 female students and played them video footage designed to provoke aversion, such as car accidents and reports on the Rwandan genocide.
While the film was played, the smell of cassis was pumped into the room, coloured lights were directed onto the back wall and neutral music was played in the background.
A week later, the participants were asked to recall their memories of the film while exposed to either the same smell, lights or sounds used in the initial screening.
Those who were given the cassis smell remembered more details about the film and found their memories more unpleasant and arousing than those who had the background music as a memory trigger, although the lights and the smell were equally effective.
Researchers said that there was no difference between the triggers in two other categories measuring how evocative and vivid the memories were.
Re-testing participants after a longer period than one week could produce more distinctive results, they said.
he researchers said that the findings "do not confirm the Proust phenomenon", but could prove useful for research into post-traumatic stress disorder, which causes patients to recall vivid and painful experiences.
The study has been published in the Cognition and Emotion journal.
Source: ANI
Sound and Smell to Help Make Perfect First Impression
Researchers have said that a system of smells and sounds will now help in creating a unique and everlasting first impression during face-to-face interactions.
Advertisement
 Demystified: How Our Brains Smell Roses Before Our Noses DoUS researchers say that before you stop and smell the roses, it's likely your brain is already preparing your sensory system for that familiar floral smell. | Advertisement
|
Advertisement
Recommended Readings
Latest General Health News
In a tragic incident, a woman in the US experienced the loss of all her limbs as a result of a bacterial outbreak linked to the consumption of contaminated fish.
FluMos-v2, a unique universal influenza vaccine candidate, undergoing a phase 1 trial at NIH, increases recipients' immunity against many influenza viruses.
In Pakistan, the polio campaign focuses on more than 270,000 children under the age of five years, residing in areas with insufficient vaccine coverage.
Dangers of Wrong Diagnosis: Diagnostic errors in healthcare can increase the risk of permanent disabilities and deaths.
Due to our constant connectivity and the ability to be accessible at all times, it has become challenging to separate from work and fully participate in personal life.
