The Complex Simplicity of Smell

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 Ackerman Chapter 1 - Smell 


The first point brought to light from this reading that got me genuinely thinking was when she wrote:

 "But who can map the features of a smell? When we use words such as smoky, sulfurous, floral, fruity, sweet, we are describing smells in terms of other things (smoke, sulfur, flowers, fruit, sugar)......Instead, we tend to describe how they make us feel. Something smells "disgust- ing'" "intoxicating," "sickening," "pleasurable," "delightful," "pulse-revving," "hypnotic," or "revolting."

Reading this quote really made me realize that scents are genuinely one of the most difficult to describe. They're so unique and complex that sometimes the only way we could hope to explain them to others is by using feeling descriptors or descriptors for other objects or items like when we compare "bad" smells like "sweaty socks" or "rotten eggs". I tried to attempt Ackerman's proposed activity of trying to describe the scent of your lover, friend, or parent and found myself at a loss for words. These scents I breathe in daily bring me joy and even a sense of comfort, yet I could not fully describe them and put them into words that would allow others to understand them. 


Smell is an integral part of who we are as people and our identities. It contributes to the food we eat, the hobbies we take up, the habits we pick up, and maybe even the people we surround ourselves with. I remember one time in high school when we learned about an animal's sense of smell. My teacher showed us this liquid, and putting a few drops on our skin would reveal our "natural scent" to ourselves that we would otherwise be nose blind to. It was restricted to the two options of a fruity-tropical scent and a sweeter scent. The theory was that we are more attracted to people who give off the same scent we do, which I thought was very interesting, especially considering that people are definitely not restricted to just those two types. It was also mentioned in the reading, but people's scents could be determined by so many identifying things that we can learn so much about someone by understanding their scent. 


Overall I'd say this reading did its job of expressing the importance our sense of smell has in our lives and our cultures. I definitely agree it's something we take for granted, especially for how heavily it influences our other senses as well. 

Comments

  1. Jonathan Brumberg-KrausFebruary 8, 2022 at 7:44 AM

    I wonder what "our natural scent" really means, since it's always changing, based on what we've eaten, the soaps and perfumes we use, if we're sweating, if we're sick (smelling used to be a very important part of medical diagnoses, and to some extent still plays a role, as different conditions can produce distinctive odors), etc. And yet it's clear infants and their mothers can detect each other through their distinctive smells, so we must have them.

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