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Psychology of scent

post #1 of 25
6/16/12 at 3:37am
Thread Starter 
I have worked in the mental health field for 26 years, so am fascinated with the psychology of scent. Smell is one of the most emotion producing senses. It evokes strong emotional memories. Evolutionarily, to smell an enemy or potential mate before anyone else did ensured the continuance of your DNA. I have noticed that I tend to like fragrances that follow certain themes ie citrus, or green botanics. Looking at some of your "top 10 lists" I also see patterns. I wonder if it is related to scent memory of childhood, or just what our pleasure center responds to. It works the other way also. We avoid rotten food smell because it could make us sick. I usually dislike musk based smells, while some folks love them. I recently found a brand of lip balm that my mother had given me 40 years ago as a child. I bought it an when I put it on, nearly cried from the nostalgia of it's scent/taste. Powerful emotion! Any thoughts/comments?
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post #2 of 25
6/16/12 at 3:57am
First, wrong forum. Second, in my experience frags are not like a simple smell, and they last much longer; it's a unique experience, And at least for me understanding and appreciation occurred in stages and took years. However, it's true that at first my mind sometimes associated a frag with something already known. That doesn't happen any longer for me.
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post #3 of 25
6/16/12 at 4:05am
Welcome Possum, and yes, scent provokes powerful emotions indeed. Certain fragrances can bring me to tears reminding me of loved ones who have past. Certain smells can take one back to specific points in ones life- so embedded are they in our memories. Trussardi L'uomo reminds me of my Grandfather as it has a strong tomato leaf note that takes me back, standing in my Grandparents yard, while he picked the tomatoes from the vine. I believe he may have worn this scent also.
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post #4 of 25
6/16/12 at 4:40am
Thread Starter 
I have only been a member for several days so apologize for posting the above in the wrong forum. I disagree however that a "fragrance" is not like a "simple smell" that is like saying a symphony isn't like a note on a piano. The symphony/fragrance is made up of many notes/smells and they work in harmony to create the symphony/fragrance. A smell is a molecule that attaches to a select receptor creating an electrical stimuli to the brain. Some folks have highly sensitive receptors and can smell something less than 1 part per million and can differentiate between vary subtle changes. Other people seem to just be pretentious charlatans who seem to rip apart every cologne gleefully expounding on it's weaknesses. My nose isn't well trained yet, but I often smell subtle things others can't.
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post #5 of 25
6/16/12 at 6:42am
Just wanted to welcome Possum-Pie to BN.
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post #6 of 25
6/16/12 at 6:49am
There's probably a link to childhood memory. However, there's one thing that seems to refute this link between psyche and scent, and that's the fact that many people's tastes change over time, especially after extensive testing, which I and others on this board can testify to. How can this be explained if our scent appreciation is inerited from childhood experiences?
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post #7 of 25
6/16/12 at 7:23am
Welcome, Possum

Yes, the sense of smell is a singularly potent mediator for emotion and memory, a phenomenon that has been celebrated in poetry and literature for millennia. Theres a meditation on this at my blog. Scent molecules, as you have noted, are discrete physical bodies that interact with our nervous systems in a direct and vivid way. I like teerose's forum sig:

smells are surer than sights or sounds to make your heartstrings crack.

-Vladimir Nabokov

There were always a few cocky boors, but Basenotes was a remarkably genteel community as little as three or four years ago, a respite from the negativity and contempt of the typical internet forum. Thats changed. Several self-appointed high-priests of taste, especially, can be frightfully savage. And theyre relentless. So that magical city on a hill atmosphere is no more, but its still a site better than many and of course the forums are only one area of this unique fragrance resource. Be strong!

Quote:
Originally Posted by PWJ View Post

There's probably a link to childhood memory. However, there's one thing that seems to refute this link between psyche and scent, and that's the fact that many people's tastes change over time, especially after extensive testing, which I and others on this board can testify to. How can this be explained if our scent appreciation is inerited from childhood experiences?

PJW: The powerful connection between scent and memory doesnt preclude new experience formed in adulthood. It's a never-ending story. I tested CK One at a fragrance counter for the first time in a couple of years recently, and it took me back immediately and poignantly to that relatively recent time in my life, and all its happy associations.
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post #8 of 25
6/16/12 at 7:34am
Aroma therapy is an effective complementary modality.
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post #9 of 25
6/16/12 at 7:36am
A few month ago I purchased some sandalwood chips and burned it as incense in my bed room while my wife was falling asleep.... My wife woke up and told me that she hears the footsteps of thousands of horses like a war was taken place in medevil time...I found that interesting...
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post #10 of 25
6/16/12 at 7:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Possum-Pie View Post

I wonder if it is related to scent memory of childhood, or just what our pleasure center responds to.

For me I think it's a combination of both.
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post #11 of 25
6/16/12 at 7:43am
I agree that scents conjure up associations from the past, good or bad.
And further agree, as alluded to by frug, that scents are an evolving mix of discovery and associations.
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post #12 of 25
6/16/12 at 7:56am
I wore body Kouros on a date once, my date gave me an amazing kiss in an elevator, then later, her mother decided to argue with me.... I took the bait, I argued, and I won, but it was dang awkward after... Every time I smell BK, both of those moments are thrust into my mind. I've learned two things from this: one, don't argue with a date's mother. Two: if you ignore point one, whatever scent was strongest will bring it right back.
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post #13 of 25
6/16/12 at 7:56am
Many scents are interconnected with memory. This means that e.g. the rotten fruit you've mentioned (or smelly feet, trainers and what have you, etc) can smell attractive to some too.
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post #14 of 25
6/16/12 at 10:10am
It's indeed predominantly a question of personal associations, memories, preferences etc. which make us like or dislike certain scents.
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post #15 of 25
6/16/12 at 10:46am
Hello Possum and Welcome!

I completly agree with you
unfortunately (or fortunately) this also means that our sense of smell is directed by cultural and social backgrounds. This is why I always tend to play it safe by wearing very "simple" citrus/clean type scents to work and it seems to be working out well

thanks!
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post #16 of 25
6/16/12 at 11:59am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Possum-Pie View Post

I have worked in the mental health field for 26 years, so am fascinated with the psychology of scent. Smell is one of the most emotion producing senses. It evokes strong emotional memories. Evolutionarily, to smell an enemy or potential mate before anyone else did ensured the continuance of your DNA. I have noticed that I tend to like fragrances that follow certain themes ie citrus, or green botanics. Looking at some of your "top 10 lists" I also see patterns. I wonder if it is related to scent memory of childhood, or just what our pleasure center responds to. It works the other way also. We avoid rotten food smell because it could make us sick. I usually dislike musk based smells, while some folks love them. I recently found a brand of lip balm that my mother had given me 40 years ago as a child. I bought it an when I put it on, nearly cried from the nostalgia of it's scent/taste. Powerful emotion! Any thoughts/comments?

Good question, Possum!

Scent has been used by animals for marking territory, attracting mates and asserting territory. I think it's safe to assume that humans can use fragrance to these ends, as well.

The strength of olfactory emotional connections is undeniable. For instance, one would not tend to favor a fragrance used by someone's ex-spouse. A person dating (if for mate selection) would not be attracted to scents worn by a parent. I certainly would not! Also, the scent of something comforting from childhood such as the fragrance worn by a parent, can trigger childhood memories. (The smell of wax crayons, for instance, can transport me back to grade school.)

The DH once told me he dated a woman, only to stop dating her because she smelled "too much" like his mother. I imagine the reason for this is mate selection, and similar smells might indicate consanguinity, a social and biological taboo.
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post #17 of 25
6/16/12 at 1:32pm
I think that the psychology of scent is something that should be investigated.
It's no coincidence that we are addicts and that we keep sampling to discover new fragrances.
The feeling I get when I smell a new fragrance in a shop and I really like it is quite strong.

For me this hobby is a mix between art, aromatherapy, spirituality, sensuality and attraction.
Fragrance is a great mood lifter.
A good fragrance can put me in a trance like trance music does and makes me dream.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLXiHyMmG20

EDIT: I actually noticed now after posting this that the girl is lying down while roses are falling down.
Wow...
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post #18 of 25
6/16/12 at 4:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Primrose View Post

Good question, Possum!

Scent has been used by animals for marking territory, attracting mates and asserting territory. I think it's safe to assume that humans can use fragrance to these ends, as well.

The strength of olfactory emotional connections is undeniable. For instance, one would not tend to favor a fragrance used by someone's ex-spouse. A person dating (if for mate selection) would not be attracted to scents worn by a parent. I certainly would not! Also, the scent of something comforting from childhood such as the fragrance worn by a parent, can trigger childhood memories. (The smell of wax crayons, for instance, can transport me back to grade school.)

The DH once told me he dated a woman, only to stop dating her because she smelled "too much" like his mother. I imagine the reason for this is mate selection, and similar smells might indicate consanguinity, a social and biological taboo.

I agree with much of what your saying, but humans don't use scent like animals. Our noses are universes away from being as sensitive as a cat for example. We can't detect minute scents left by other human beings. To be honest I'm not sure I'd like to have that ability. Lol!!! What is interesting is when someone loses one of their senses (blindness) how their other senses become much more in tune with their environment. Most likely a survival mechanism built into humans. A good example is why a lion licks itself all the time. It's to keep the scent off of it so other predators can't detect him as easily. After a kill they will lick each other clean. Next time I have a meal with my wife I'll ask her to do this..LOL!!!
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post #19 of 25
6/17/12 at 4:36am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for all the comments! Even as a child, I always relied more heavily on smells than others I knew. I could smell things others couldn't, and seemed to have a more emotional response to scents. "Smelling" is also part of taste, and vice versa- they are intertwined. My cat will sniff something, then open her mouth to experience the "taste of the smell" I bet many of you also enjoy the sensual experience of a good wine, or good food, experiencing the nuances others "just don't get"
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post #20 of 25
6/17/12 at 8:10am
Welcome to Basenotes! Many experienced noses here and most of them are very friendly.

Scent is a powerful thing. I've found I am attracted to or repulsed by certain men just because of the way they naturally smell, pheromones I suppose. The smell of Vitamin B vitamins always reminds me of times I stayed with my aunt and cousins, I guess because she handed out chewable vitamins to us kids and they had that smell. I get a whiff of something green and oaty in the air and it reminds me of times I had with my family and friends having a picnic. So many smells remind us of certain events. Thanks for the post, I enjoyed this thread.
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post #21 of 25
6/17/12 at 12:32pm
Welcome Possum Pie !
This is an interesting topic so thanks for bringing it up .

Heavenscent - oh boy ..... The smell of Vitamin B complex . My dear late grandmother was convinced Vitamin B Complex was the business . She routinely took too much of it and always smelt of Vitamin B ! I mean she would waft it and my mother would fret about it . Thankfully Grans stopped doing this later in life . So this strange sweet medicinal Vit B smell always reminds me of my Gran.

Apparently the father of psychoanalysis , Sigmund Freud , favored Creed's Selection Verte which is a discreet but beautiful citrus scent .

Scent , for me , is definitely transportive and old favorites will always remind me of who I was, at those stages in my life when I wore no other fragrance but those scents alone . A powerful reminder !

Jane Birkin wanted a scent that was like the smell of her brother's hair and so we now have L'Air de Rien by Miller Harris .
I do understand this desire . I love the smell of the top of my husband's head - where his bald patch is ! ah ...... He will kill me for saying this !
I could pick out that Husband Head Smell blindfolded out of 100 men .
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post #22 of 25
6/17/12 at 1:01pm
Scent bonds us to our babies, subtly tells the opposite sex when we're most fertile and those two together probably bonded the tribe in developing homosapiens.

You describe Proust's "madelaine" moment about which there are various studies which provide evidence both for and against. Opinion in the perfumista sphere is also divided. Google is probably your friend for finding these data and opinions.

Commonly the smell of baking bread is pumped round supermarkets to make us hang around and buy more food. Rumor has it citrus odours make us work more effectively Now that's an idea for the NHS in th UK. Make the wards and offices smell of lemons, I must cost that out, lol
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post #23 of 25
6/17/12 at 6:40pm
Thread Starter 
Nice post Alityke. See you are from Yorkshire... I LOVE "Last of the Summer Wine"... I want to visit Holmfirth before I die!!
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post #24 of 25
6/18/12 at 1:25am
I got instant goose-bumps and a swoony effect in the perfume shop the other day when I smelt the new Opium. I felt my face flush ... bringing back memories of a former partner over 25 years ago. Just like that. (They should put chairs in discreet corners in these shops so that customers experiencing a memory rush could delicately sit down on them for a while instead of clinging rather theatrically onto the counter top!)
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post #25 of 25
7/19/12 at 1:23pm
Eau de Campagne brings me back great memories.
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Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Just Starting Out › Psychology of scent