The Powerful Link Between Smell, Memory, and Emotion

Smell has a stronger link to memory and emotion than any of the other senses.

We are 100 times more likely to remember something we smell versus something we see, and 75% of our everyday emotions are influenced by smell.

Thamalus = Sensory Checkpoint

When you hear, touch, or taste, the sensory information reaches the thalamus, which serves as your brain’s relay station. It then sends the info to relevant brain areas such as the hippocampus, which is responsible for memory, and the amygdala, which processes emotion.

Smells bypass the thalamus.

Smells go straight to the olfactory bulb, or the brain’s smell processing center. This bulb is directly linked to the amygdala (responsible for emotion) and hippocampus (responsible for memory).

Direct Link = Intense Association

The olfactory bulb’s proximity to the brain’s emotion and memory centers might explain why scent can immediately trigger a vivid memory or strong emotion.

If we are visual creatures, why is smell so powerful?

Some scientists believe it goes back to how we evolved: Smell is one of the most fundamental senses, originating in single-celled organisms as a way to interact with the chemicals around them.

We have at least 400 different types of smell receptors (but only four types of light sensors and four types of touch receptors).

The long evolutionary history of smell may explain why we have so many smell receptors compared to our other senses.

A Shocking Odor-Linked Memory Discovery

In 2017, scientists discovered that some memories may be saved in part of the olfactory bulb itself, called the piriform cortex. They found that it processes and stores long-term odor-linked memories, but only when “instructed” to do so by the orbitofrontal cortex, a higher brain area.

Scents are doubly effective at triggering memories.

So not only is the scent-processing center connected closely to the memory center, but it is also capable of archiving long-term memories in-house.

Scent branding may be making you buy more.

Many stores and hotels have specialized scents created by scent branding companies like ScentAir. Hugo Boss has a musky aroma with a touch of citrus in their stores.

Department stores have a scent for each section.

For example, Bloomingdale’s uses a coconut scent in swimwear, lilac in lingerie, and baby powder in children’s. How can you not buy a bathing suit with memories of the beach sailing through your brain?

Old Navy embraces seasonal smells.

Old Navy uses seasonal scents with notes such as cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, evergreen, cranberry, and cedar. These nostalgic aromas spark fond memories of merriment and warm, fuzzy emotions.

Hyatt Place and Scent Branding

Hyatt Place has been leveraging the powerful link between scent, memory, and emotion since its inception in 2007. Its unique “Seamless” signature scent aims to create a sense of welcoming elegance and calm with a blend of fresh blueberries, light florals, warm vanilla, and musk. Regular surveys and online reviews found that the scent enhanced the guest experience and increased brand memorability.

Could aromatherapy improve worker performance?

A study by Takasago, Japan’s largest fragrance producer, found that workers made 54% fewer typing errors when the environment was scented with lemon. This may be because linalool, a substance found in lemons, helps relax our flight-or-fight stress reflex, improving focus.

Lavender = Stress Relief

Researchers found that lavender and rosemary may decrease the stress hormone cortisol.

Sensory Marketing = Powerful Unconscious Cues

The Sensory Marketing Laboratory at the University of Michigan has found that the senses can work together in marketing. For instance, because cinnamon suggests warmth, a heating pad’s appeal and perceived effectiveness can be enhanced by making it cinnamon-scented.

Nothing Like the Smell of Fresh Coffee

A scent marketing campaign for Dunkin’ Donuts in South Korea had coffee aromas released from atomizers every time the company jingle played on public buses. This increased visits to Dunkin’ Donuts stores near bus stops by 16% and sales for those stores by 29%.

Another Win for Coffee

A convenience store that released coffee scent near the gas pumps increased coffee purchases by 300%.

Signature Scent = Better Recall

One study found that imbuing pencils with the distinct smell of tea tree oil dramatically increased its user’s ability to remember the brand and other details two weeks later.

Flower Power

Two identical shoes were placed in identical rooms, one floral-scented, the other not. By an 84% margin, customers preferred the shoes in the floral room and estimated their value to be an average of $10.33 higher.

Puzzling Petals

Volunteers in one study completed puzzle-solving tasks 17% faster after exposure to floral fragrances.

Inhale Vanilla, Exhale Anxiety

Sixty-three percent of MRI patients who smelled vanilla before a procedure reported reduced anxiety compared to just 4% of patients who didn’t.

The Sweet Smell of Risk

A mid-1990s study at a Las Vegas casino found that the amount gambled in a scented slot machine area increased by 45% compared to an unscented room.

Switch Perfume to Help Heal Heartbreak 

Psychologist Julie Walsh-Messinger, who studies olfaction, emotion, and social behavior, stated that switching your perfume may help you escape the bad memories linked to it and create new ones.