Have you ever been hit with a scent that transported you back to an experience or memory? Maybe baking cookies remind you of the holidays and spending time with your mom. Or the smell of chlorine reminds you of fun summer days with friends at the pool. The smell of roses reminds you of your crush finally asking you to the school dance.
You can continue to enhance your memories by adding scents to your experiences and making them more meaningful. These are called odor-linked memories.
Odor-Linked Memories
Many of these odor-linked memories are created in our childhood. Still, utilizing scents in your everyday life can help create a memory linked to smell. “When you smell something, to process the smell, your brain uses the same areas that it would use to process emotions and memories. This makes smells great at helping us remember emotional memories!”
Memories are unique in the fact that they are person dependent. Another person may see what one person may witness in a completely different light. Thus, the memory of the event is unique in each individual’s mind.
The same is true for scents. Scents are often attached to the memory, not because of what’s happening, but because of the emotions or feelings, one is experiencing. As a result, the scent is more specifically connected to the emotion of the memory, not necessarily the memory itself.
Different Scents Encourage Different Results
Learning about different flowers and their scents allows you to set the mood for specific reactions or even promote unique memories. How can you create the ultimate relaxing weekend? With the smell of lavender. By utilizing flowers, candles, oils, and diffusers and pairing these scent creators with a nice bubble bath, a good book, or a relaxing night in, you will begin to associate the scent of lavender with relaxation. This scent can help calm anxiety throughout the day and promote sleep in the evenings.
Do you want to create the ultimate romantic evening? Pair a fun date activity with scents. This can be achieved with a fun flower arranging class, a cooking class, wine tasting, or even a walk in the park. These activities create a strong emotional memory as they are filled with various scents that encourage odor-linked memories. Many scents promote romance or are well-known aphrodisiacs. Some top scents include pumpkin pie, lavender, rose, jasmine, doughnuts, vanilla, and strawberry.
Are you trying to maintain focus throughout your workday? Scents like peppermint and lemon help to stimulate your mind, keeping you focused and alert on your tasks. Diffuse with essential oils in your workspace, add them to your water, or light a refreshing candle to help clear the air and your mind so you can stay focused on the task.
Live a Scent Enriched Life
When you recognize the significance that scents play in creating core memories and stimulating certain emotions, you can begin to enrich your life through more positive memory creation and mood-manipulating scents. This scent manipulation tool is the ultimate hack to creating a more fulfilling life.
