By: Natasha Archary
Scents trigger memories by increasing brain activity associated with either a happy or sad memory. This is the reason the smell of freshly baked bread takes you back to your childhood.
Our brain and sensory systems are so powerful that, many of our memories are triggered by smells, tastes, and even sounds. Songs can take us right back to a day, a venue, and even how we felt.
It’s also why we first smell food before we eat it because we know what a peach smells like and can anticipate the taste of it with the first bite.
The Drive 959 team and listeners share their lifetime musical memories, with talk revolving around the songs that remind you of either someone or a moment you will always associate with that song.
Another reason why scents and songs trigger memories is that people link certain smells or the words to a song to an emotion.
The smell of the ocean triggers the sound and taste of the waves crashing on the shore and the saltiness in the air. The distinct smell of a flower can ignite memories of your first love or a relative who had the flowers growing in their garden.
According to neuroscientists have suggested that this close physical connection between the regions of the brain linked to memory, emotion, and our sense of smell may explain why our brain learns to associate smells with certain emotional memories.
Listen to the conversation on Drive 959:
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