Why does smell evoke memories?

1. 71

   sofsposted 13 years ago

   Why does smell evoke memories?
   
   Could you explain this?

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2. 86

   melporposted 13 years ago

   All our memories are created from information gathered through our five senses. So if you smell, taste, hear, see, or touch something that created a pleasant or unpleasant experience you will create a strong memory associated with it. This is the basis of learning for all animals including us. So if your senses are stimulated by a previous encountered with that stimulus you will either avoid it or enjoy it the next time that experience is encountered because you remembered it.

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3. 66

   Claudia47posted 13 years ago

   Odor and memory are connected because of your anatomy - specifically, your brain.
   
   The primary olfactory cortex, (part of the brain having to do with smell) receives information about smells from nerves in the nose.  It links directly to the amygdala **  and the hippocampus*** .
   
   
   ** amygdala - (almond-shaped groups of nuclei located deep within the medial temporal lobes of the brain - controls expression and experience of emotion)
   
   *** hippocampus - (a major component of the brains of humans and other vertebrates. It belongs to the limbic system and and controls the consolidation of memories)

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4. 69

   LailaKposted 13 years ago

   Because the olfactory nerve (smelling nerve) passes directly through the hippocampus (memory storage area).

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5. 99

   Rochelle Frankposted 13 years ago

   I know this is true-- but didn't know the technical details until I read some of the other answers here. Fascinating.
   I know that the smell of paper, printer's ink and kerosene evoke memories of my dad's print shop, for me.
   I have read books that describe smells, like ocean, rain, dried pine needles and get an immediate impression of the scene the author describes. I think this is one reason why good narrative writing includes all of the sensory cues in descriptions.

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