The ability to detect emotions through smell is a phenomenon that is often dismissed or overlooked. In experiments discussed in the book, researchers found that humans can detect fear or disgust from the scent of sweat. this can occur even when it is odorless in a conscious sense. Although this is most definitely a talent, there is science and specific research behind this.
Smells are handled by the olfactory bulb, the structure in the front of the brain that sends information to the other areas of the body’s central command for further processing (Walsh, 2020). Odors take a direct route to the limbic system, including the amygdala and the hippocampus, the regions related to emotion and memory. These olfactory signals are very quick to get to the limbic system (Walsh, 2020). Therefore, this highlights how the olfactory system is a subtle emotional radar.
References
Rosenblum, L.D. (2010). See what I am saying: The extraordinary powers of our five senses (1st ed.). W. W. Norton & Company.
Walsh, C. (2020). How scent, emotion, and memory are intertwined and exploited. Harvard Gazette. https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2020/02/how-scent-emotion-and-memory-are-intertwined-and-exploited/
Hi Daniella, this is very interesting to know because who would have thought that we have an ability to detect emotions through smell, I never knew that until now.
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