What Your Nose Knowsby Aimee Amodio | More from this Blogger 23 May 2008 12:35 PM Don't knock your nose -- scientists believe that the nose is capable of recognizing thousands of smells. In fact, studies are showing that your sense of smell may be as much as ten thousand times sharper than your sense of taste. That's pretty amazing! So how does smell work? Inside your nose are millions are cells that act as scent receptors. We have hundreds of different kinds of smell receptors that allow us to identify lots of different odors. Once your scent receptors detect a smell, they send the information to a cluster of neurons in the brain known as the olfactory bulb. The olfactory bulb is about the size of a pea but it does a big job -- it sorts the signals from the scent receptor cells and sends the information to the limbic system. The limbic system is a part of the brain that deals with memory, emotion, and some basic behaviors like that flight or fight instinct. The limbic system and the olfactory bulb are close enough together that the neurons can become entangled -- this may be part of why scents can evoke such strong memories. But scent can do more than that! Fragrances can influence mood. A study from the Ohio State University took a look at how scent can influence mood with a simple test. Participants were exposed to two different scents: calming lavender and invigorating lemon. Those who sniffed the citrus fruit and then had a mildly stressful experience (putting their foot into freezing water) had higher levels of an energizing hormone than those who smelled the floral scent. The researchers took this as evidence that lemon oil can reliably enhance mood. Aromatherapy has been used for healing for thousands of years -- it's good to see that science agrees that scent can be useful for your health! Learn more about Aimee Amodio  Aimee is a fiction writer... dog lover... music lover... Relevanthealth tags User Comments  Dale Harcombe (10327) 23 May 2008 09:21 PMI often use the sense of smell when I conduct writing workshops for just that reason, that it so so evocative in bringing back memories. For example I cannot smelll Cashmere Bouquet talcum powder without thinking of my Mom. But lavender is not calming for everyone. It is a smell I can't cope with. Nothing induces a headache quicker than lavender and yet I love other floral scents. Community Tags aromatherapy, memories, mothers, memory, scents, scent, smell, writing Discuss this article
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