Smells and Bells

In class yesterday we discussed briefly how various senses require a different amount of closeness in order to be accessible. We can hear and see things for some distance, as well as smell, though that can be variable, but in order to use the sense of touch we must be directly touching something and taste requires putting an object in your mouth. I found it interesting how this array of distances might be changed or augmented by existing in the digital realm. It's very easy to share visuals and sounds digitally. Smells, tastes and touches we have yet to figure out how to send through the medium of a computer. What's interesting though is that despite the lack of technology for it, especially these days where so many more interactions are online, it hasn't stopped people for trying to share these senses too. For example, just about every public discord server I'm in has some sort of channel for sharing photos of food. Here's one that my partner sent recently, from th...

Music is something that we surround ourselves with every day. I can honestly say that in my life and in my experiences, music is everywhere at all times. Music is present when I swim my routines in the pool, as I walk to class, when I sing in the shower, and it's present as I write this blog post. Music can change my mood in an instant and it can amplify any mood that I'm feeling. According to Diane Ackerman, "Music speaks so powerfully that many musicians and theorists think it may be an actual language" (209). Ackerman later says that the lyrics or words assigned to a song have nothing to do with the emotions that we feel from the music. Lyrics are something separate from the music itself that sort of serves as an enhancement for what is already conveyed through musical language. What I've found really relevant from what Ackerman says about music in my own life is the difference in music preference from person to person. Preference can depend on where we...

Some of my favorite activities and memories are held during the holiday season. As someone who goes to college in a different state, coming back home for winter break makes it even more meaningful. It’s a time to catch up with my family, enjoy home-cooked meals, annoy my siblings, and sometimes find some peace and quiet during the busy holiday season. My Mom's Santa  One of my favorite things about the time leading up to Christmas is how my mom burns incense. It's always a comforting smell to me. Maybe it's because I have grown up Catholic so I am used to it, but it just adds that extra Christmas feeling. I've caught myself saying, "it smells like Christmas" when I walk into the house and my mom has lit the little Santa. My parents  Even when it is not winter, the smell of incense makes me think of being home at Christmas time. I can hear my dad complaining to my mom that the smell gives ...

Smell, memory, and emotion are deeply connected. The Olfactory receptors (where smell is processed) are directly connected to the limbic system (center of emotions). This interaction happens before the cortex can recognize the odor itself. Emotional responses and memories linked to the scent are triggered by the primitive brain before other parts of the brain can cognitively recognize the scent separately from the individual's personal connection with it (11). Something I wonder about is if the reason aromatherapy is effective is because of the scent itself or the memories attached to it. Do we smell floral oils and the brain produces chemicals in response to that scent or does our brain take a trip back to a springtime of our younger selves when the flowers were blooming and we were calm, happy, and carefree? According to Dr. Herz, smell is not hard-wired. People will react differently to smells based on their past experiences and memories with those smells. What calms one ...