The Like and Dislike of Smells

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Diane Ackerman brings the idea of how everyone views, and experiences smells
differently based on many variables on page 24 she said “Just what do we mean by a bad smell? And what is the worst smell in the world? The answer depends on culture, age, and personal taste”. When I read this the first thing that came to mind is the question can the sense of flight or fight be connected to the dislike of a particular smell as well. Most people think of the smell of a skunk that evoked the fight or flight response meaning the skunk will spray a horrible smell too scare off potential threats of danger.

It’s clear that not everyone will agree of what they think is a pleasant smell. But why
do some hate the smell of something that other may love? What can be comforting, and pleasant cant be sickening for other, this is partially based on a biological response. A few examples of smells that some love while others hate are new car leather or strong perfumes. Having such strong positive or negative reactions to these particularly strong smells a great way of showing how people can be so different for one another.

Comments

  1. Rosie SteinerMay 1, 2020 at 9:45 AM

    Every time I smell a skunk, I always, always get surprised and confused because it's nothing like I imagined them smelling like. However, most of the times when I smell a skunk it's by a road, so whether or not the skunk sprayed oncoming cars is a mystery, but I believe it also results from the skunk being killed :( very unfortunate and sad.

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