Olfaction & Emotion

In class on Thursday, Dr. Herz talked about the unique connection between olfaction and emotion. We spoke about the ways certain smells remind us of past events and make us feel certain ways. The connection between emotion and olfaction is formed and expressed differently than with any other sense. Because of the interconnectedness of the olfactory bulb and the limbic system, smell can call upon memory and emotions almost immediately. A New York Times article describes olfaction as both our slow sense and our quick sense. I think this is an interesting observation, especially since we have been looking at the senses from both a biological and experiential point of view. Unlike vision and audition that receive strong signals very quickly, our sense of smell is based off of the molecules that travel through the air and into our nose.

While the physiology behind smell is relatively slow compared to the physiology of the other senses, the connection between smell and any emotion is nearly instantaneous-- a unique characteristic of smell. Watching my teammates post pictures of the team and of our field next preseason will definitely jumpstart some emotions in me in August-- I will get a little sad, a little excited, and my heart will start to race. Getting a whiff of my little sister's soccer cleats, on the other hand, will affect me much to a greater extent. With respect to smell, vision appears rather temporary. I view a picture on instagram, begin to feel some emotion, and within seconds begin scrolling again until another picture seems sort of interesting. Smell,on the other hand, lingers and consumes the individual experiencing the smell. While one glance at a picture exudes limited emotion, the smell of soccer cleats instantly fills me with the fire and passion that consumed each game day.