bella dea

The Power of a Scent The sense of smell is one of the most overlooked ways in which we perceive the world, but it is directly linked to the memory centers of the brain. Smells can evoke strong positive or negative emotion, they can bond people together through the use of pheromones and scents can be warnings of danger or a signal of happi- ness to come. Scents can also trigger chemical reactions in the body to in- duce states of calm or heightened states of awareness. Consider the smell of your grandmother’s house, how many times you visited her as a child and the smells of the ladies perfume was the first thing you recognised when you enter the house, or consider your mother or father cooking, the smell of your favourite food warming gently in the oven. For me it is the smell of Bramley apples stewing on the cook- er and the smell of apple pies cooking in the oven, that memory is triggered in me now forty plus years after the events. Walking around a bakery for me is a trip down memory lane! What does the aroma of freshly baked bread do to you? This connection between scents and a memory is called the Proust effect, the linking of a given smell and deeply held memories. Think about the power of aromatherapy, whether you be- lieve or not, just consider the smell of Jasmine wafting to- wards you on a summer evening breeze. Scents can have a powerful effect on your mental state; Lavender is well known to be a calming influence and can help you get off to sleep. Mint is known to be just the opposite, it is invigor- ating, a stimulant.