Why The Smell of Cut Grass Reminds Me of My Dad

Hello Science Experts!

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This week, we are talking about the Chemical Senses. Olfaction (smell) is one of our oldest sense
(human life began in a chemical environment). Although we do't rely on our sense of smell as much today as an ancestors did thousands (maybe millions) of years ago, the sense of smell still has a powerful influence on our everyday lives. Smells create the strongest memories for us. The smell of coffee may remind you of your mom drinking her cup of joe in the morning when you were a kid, or the smell of cinnamon may remind you of Thanksgiving when you were six. For me, the smell of cut grass always reminds me of my dad mowing the lawn Saturday morning when I was eight.

Even more striking is how long theses memories last. Everyday information like old addresses and telephone numbers fade with time, but smell memories remain as crisp as the day you formed the memory. In fact, Alzhiemer's patients, long after they no longer recognize their families, often can recall long-forgotten people, places, things by a smell.

Although we all experience these strong memories, the question remains why? One theory is that, in the brain, information about smell travels near areas that are involved in emotions and making memories. This provides the opportunity for smell information to interact and influence these areas. Moreover, some research suggests that brain areas responsible for memory are activated at the same time that someone is actively smelling something. If you want to read more about this topic, feel free to read the NT time article, 'The Nose, an Emotional Time Machine,' which can be found by clicking here.