The Magic of Scents

Can you recall the scent of an Orange?

Have you ever thought about that? Can you say right away what the scent of an Orange means to you?

The first words that pop into my mind are fresh and fruity. But it’s just so much more than that!

So when I ask myself the question if I can recall the scent I close my eyes and I immediately start thinking about when I ate my last fresh Orange on a sunny day and I can almost feel the warmth of the sun on my skin again.

In my mind’s eye I see the shiny orange fruit, I see myself cutting through it with a kitchen knife, I see the bright colour of the peel followed by the white layer of the inner peel until I finally reach the core. The Orange juice is dripping on my fingers and right away they feel sticky and my nose is filled with this unique and distinctive scent.

I know I can describe the scent of an Orange as fresh, fruity, sweet but also a bit acidic, citrusy and cheerful. I have all those words in my mind as I try to recall the scent of an Orange but what also happens is that memories pop up.

And that’s the magic of scents. They can bring back certain memories and emotions because they send signals to the limbic system, the part of our brain that stores memories and emotions. The scent of an Orange is such a strong and familiar scent that even thinking about it itself brings back memories. Isn’t that amazing?

But it’s even more than that! Scents can help us feel better, they can influence our mood and well-being because of this connection between scents, memories and emotions.

Positive emotions which can be stimulated by certain scents have been shown to lower stress and improve psychological well-being (Masahiro et al, 2011).

Lavender is another example for a very strong and powerful scent. Many studies have already shown the benefits of lavender essential oil.

One study for example has shown that lavender oil was able to create feelings of relaxation and also decrease blood pressure and heart rate, which I personally think it’s just unbelievable, surprisingly and fantastic at the same time (Sayorwan et al, 2012). Let’s be honest I would have never thought that!

Another study suggested that lavender is able to support deep sleep and maintain good sleep quality which is also a huge help to improve our quality of life as good sleep is a big part of our overall well-being (Goel, 2005).

So, while scents and essential oils can definitely not be any replacement for medical treatments they can certainly help you feel better and improve your well-being.

References:

Masahiro, M. Isowa, T. Yamakawa, K. et al. (2011). ‘Psychological and Physiological Responses to Odor-Evoked Autobiographic Memory’, Activitas Nervosa Superior Rediviva, 53 (3), pp. 114-120, Semantic Scholar [Online]. Available at: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/628d/a5529ea7f1af23dea002852f6a4225b23458.pdf?_ga=2.219413407.703564051.1536135427-1541759280.1536135427(Accessed: 5 September 2018).

Goel, N. Kim, H and Lao, R.P. (2005). ‘An Olfactory Stimulus Modifies Nighttime Sleep in Young Men and Women’, Chronobiology International, 22 (5), pp. 889-904, NCBI [Online]. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16298774(Accessed: 18 September 2018).

Sayorwan, W. Siripornpanich, V. Piriyapunyaporn, T. et al. (2012). ‘The Effects of Lavender Oil Inhalation on Emotional States, Autonomic Nervous System and Brain Electrical Activity’, Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand, 95 (4), pp. 598-606, NCBI [Online]. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22612017(Accessed: 18 September 2018).