Smell

Our species is not known for its acute sense of smell. I’m reminded of this every time our cats are sniffing around, checking out what’s been going on in our environment. At the same time, I am smelling next to nothing.

But as many people discovered during Covid when their sense of smell vanished, smell is crucial to the enjoyment of life. Here is how three writers weigh in on the topic:

“Smell is the closest thing humans have to a time machine.” Caryl Rivers

“Smells detonate softly in our memory like poignant land mines, hidden under the weedy mass of many years and experiences.” Barbara Ackerman

“Smells are surer than sights or sounds to make your heart-strings crack.” Rudyard Kipling

That powerful emotional burst a smell incites can be explained scientifically. In humans, odors bind to receptors in our nasal cavity where neurons transmit signals straight to the olfactory bulb, the part of the brain responsible for smell identification, memory and emotion. It’s a direct hit.

No absolute scientific consensus exists on the number of basic odors people can detect. One study names seven basic odors; floral, fruity, minty, nutty, pungent, sweet and woody. Other scientists add putrid, chemical and decayed. Whatever the number, humans have lots to sniff out.

One sweet smell stands out as being universally loved around the planet. Scientific research indicates that the smell of vanilla is the world’s favorite scent. Scientists report that “the kinds of smells that people like or dislike tend to be common across individuals from distinctly different cultural backgrounds…”

I’ve reflected on the favorite smells in my life, the ones that open floodgates of memories.

• The smell of High Desert Country after a downpour.
• The smell of pinon pine woodsmoke on a winter night in New Mexico.
• The intoxicating aroma of orange blossoms when driving along the Indian River in Florida on a summer night.
• The smell of melting butter at the moment it browns.
• The spicy, sweet smell as my Grandmother’s apple cake recipe bakes in my oven.
• The heady smell of gardenias, the flower in corsages my father would give my mother when I was a child.

Weak as they are, never underestimated the magic of the human nose.

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