How to use smell to improve focus & memory
Hi there,
I was walking through the park yesterday morning. The smell of freshly cut grass filled my nostrils. Even though it was a dreary and grey day, it inexplicably felt like spring.
We’ve all experienced it: a familiar scent evokes a strong emotion or transports you back in time. But why does this happen? And why should we care?
Why smells trigger memories
Neurons from the olfactory bulb (a part of our brain) extend from the brain into the nose. When we breathe in through our noses, these neurons detect scent molecules.
The olfactory neurons also extend deeper into the brain, and they send signals to other brain regions, such as the ones associated with emotion and memory. They might send a message containing information about the scent. Our brain will then recognise the smell and identify where it might be coming from.
There are three different ways that our brain processes smell.
We have hard-wired innate odour responses (e.g. smelling smoke will trigger alertness). We also have learned associations with smells (e.g. the smell of freshly cut grass reminding us of spring). Finally, there are pheromone effects.
Smelling is one of the most ancient senses we have. It likely evolved before seeing and hearing.
Research shows our smell memory is stronger than our visual memory. For example, this study showed that smell (e.g. of Vicks VapoRub) was associated with stronger childhood memory recall than the corresponding visual stimuli (e.g. seeing the container of VapoRub).
The connection between smells and our brain is strong, and there are ways we can use it to our advantage.
Using smell to feel more alert and focused
As we inhale, our level of alertness increases. It’s an ancient signal to our brain to pay attention to what’s happening around us.
The simple act of inhaling has been shown to increase brain activity and improve performance accuracy in visuospatial tasks.
So what does this mean in practice?
If you’re feeling tired or struggling to stay alert, focus on breathing through your nose. Studies show that you learn better with nasal breathing, compared to mouth-only or a combination of nose or mouth breathing.
And if you want an extra dose of focus, smell some mint.
Mint scents have been shown to trigger alertness and improve memory. This works in the same way as a cold shower. Different stimuli can trigger the release of adrenaline and epinephrine, which can make you feel more awake and focused.
A more extreme approach is using smelling salts.
These will trigger the same parts of the brain to give you a more aggressive wake-up. They are typically made of ammonia, which is toxic - so be careful and do your research before trying something like this. Ammonia can also damage your sense of smell and vision.
Using smell to improve memory
If we know there’s a strong connection between smell and memory, a natural conclusion might be that we can use smell to improve our memories.
The research isn’t conclusive, but there are some interesting studies in this area.
A recent study showed that smell memory training can help with visual memory tasks, but not the other way around. This suggests that smell can enhance other forms of cognition.
Some studies have shown that smell has positive effects on memory recall in patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease, but further research is needed.
Improving your smelling ability
Like any other part of your body, you can strengthen your sense of smell.
You can increase the sensitivity of your smell and taste systems by breathing deeply through your nose for 10-15 breaths and then smelling something like an orange. And fortunately, you don’t need to do this every day - occasionally practising smelling can have an impact.
Question of the week
Smells often trigger memories from our childhood.
Psychologists say our childhood experiences shape who we are as adults. As we grow up, we develop values, principles, and beliefs. Some of these arise from what happened in our early years.
With that, this week’s question: what’s the most memorable learning experience from your childhood, and how has it impacted you today?
Link of the week
Some exciting news: my wonderful friend Lumes and I have a new podcast! We talk about what’s been happening in our worlds this week, from TV to tech, culture and more.
Listen on Spotify, Apple, Acast, or wherever you get your podcasts by typing “Avocado Proust.”
That’s all for now. Have a great week!