When we think of keeping memories alive we often think in terms of visual things like photos, videos or souvenirs that we can look at but one of the most powerful memory aids seems to be the sense of smell.
I mentioned in my last post about some of the smells on the naval ship we visited on the weekend. It’s amazing how quickly my mind will jump to a memory simply because I’ve caught a faint scent in the air.
Every now and then when I’m at work at 98.5 Sonshine FM I catch the new smell that I remember from 18 years ago when I first started announcing. I can smell curries that just smell good but I know that a curry is authentic when the aroma suddenly transports me back to India. Sometimes I catch a sniff of certain kinds of muscle rub and I’m instantly thinking about my first couple of rides across Australia in the late 80s.
There are so many other smells that can take me back to a time long ago. What about you? What are the smells that trigger memories for you?
Posted by Rodney Olsen
Technorati Tags: Smell – Aroma – Memories
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this might sound a bit unusual but 1 smell that brings back memories is the smell of hot fresh pumpkin soup
when i was younger i felt a bit like a machine that could down bowls of pumpkin soup in times worthy of been published in the guiness world records, i used to polish off bowl after bowl in quick succession
i still love pumpkin soup today but i tend to eat it more at a leasurely pace, i try to enjoy every spoonfull
mmmmmm…. yum
Isn’t it odd how memories trigger even physical sensations for our bodies?
Great Question!!! I am very sensitive to scents and they transport me quickly back to certain times and places.
Aramis cologne reminds me of my first real kiss
The scent of books reminds me of my childhood
The ocean makes me think of all the fun times with my son swimming and catching waves on our Boogie Boards
And the smell of 3 stroke oil reminds me of the moto-cross races I used to go to!
Just before my wedding 28 years ago, my mom gave me a gift set of Avon Feelin’ Fresh deodorant. One whiff of that stuff takes me back to the heady days of my honeymoon and newly-weddedness. Goodness…I should find an Avon lady and order some. It’s great stuff!
This is an interesting topic, our brains are incredible the way they link smells to thoughts and memories.
One that always gets me is sometimes I’ll pass women on the street, and they are wearing the same perfume that one of my primary school teachers used to wear. I really like the smell, but have never actually asked any of them what it is – I’m just too shy for that!
The bluestone in Melbourne has a scent (so I’ve read) and I think that’s the smell that makes me feel like I’m really there. Not so much a memory trigger as a reminder that places are different in all sorts of unexpected ways. Lou Lou perfume reminds me of my first year out of high school.