Smells and Bells

When it comes to the 6th Sense it is sometimes viewed as a controversial sense, some may believe in it others may not. It is the power of perception LIKE, but not one of the five senses. It is similar to knowing when the unknown will happen. For example I consider myself to have a 6th sense of knowing when someone is going to enter a room or when I will get a text message.  However aside from an example like that I did not know much about the 6th sense and I wanted to learn more about it. I searched the internet for interactive activities and I was able to find this video which tests ones 6th Sense. After taking the test, with a score of 200, I was told that I have a 6th sense for Psychometry. The response for this was , “you   could be able to sense past events through the feel of objects that were there when the event took place. Some detectives are touch sensors, using their skill to solve crimes.  Overall, this was a fun interactive way to s...

           Our guest speaker focused on the practice of massage. Now what first comes to mind when I think of massage, is being in the Caribbean  at some extravagant spa with palm trees in the background and cucumbers over the persons eyes. However, during the lecture I was really able to see how massage can be viewed as a serious practice which is used to relax ones mind and body.            This highly focuses on our sense of touch, since massage involves ones body, touch is always used. In class we did various exercises that come from the practice of massage to help us relax when stressed or relieve muscle tension when in pain. It was really cool to see volunteers come up in class and show how the touch of several peoples hands could relieve joint pain on ones shoulder. Another thing that was told to us during the lecture was that we could even do some of these practices on o...

Last Friday I went to see the the play What Happens When. What was interesting about this play was the incorporation of technology in the performance. There were two large screens which would display text messages between actors and also show videos during the performance. This was a good way to get the audience to connect with the show. It also showed how serious technology is in our society. The text message scene is what stood out to me  the most in the play to show the audience the conversation between the male and female actor. While I did not agree with every aspect of the play and at  times felt it was a little one sided or unrealistic (college hearing board scene). I do believe that the performance brought a new point of view to homophobia, sexual assault, and other situations that happen far to often on college campuses across the nation. The performance did a great job of bringing light to the victims of sexual violence. Overall I enjoyed the performance and would...

I wanted to expand upon Prof. Nelson's talk about what we think we see and what we are actually seeing. I want to relate this to the idea that sometimes peoples minds change to make them think they saw what their minds want them to see. It is fascinating to see how our minds can trick us and affect other things we view. I am attaching a link to a optical illusion. If you stare at this for about 30 seconds and then focus on another item you will see the affects that it plays on you. http://www.michaelbach.de/ot/mot-adaptSpiral/index.html *If you take offense to South Park Don't watch* -explanation below Another thing I want to discuss are people who think they have spotted phenomenons. The idea of spotting a UFO or big foot. Did they actually see these things? Or did they just spot a plane or an animal and their so set on spotting the legend that their minds force them to believe that what they saw is true? While a little informal, this clip from South Park is exactly what...

As my group just presented the last class it was interesting to compare my groups presentation to the Seder that I attended the next day. For our presentation we started off the class by having everyone sit in a circle and chant ohms together which was an interesting experience. To relate this to the Seder that I went to there were various songs, sometimes they were sung by one person and people would chime in which would make for a very interesting sound. It was also cool, because the gender of the person who added to the song would change the whole tone of the song.  *My personal favorite Passover Tune* This also ties into what makes a song religious? When we sing Dayenu at the Seder there are no instrummentals and usually the only beat that takes place are people banging on the table. Clearly what makes Dayenu Religious are the lyrics meaning, but if you don't speak Hebrew one does not know the true meaning  behind it. This song is over a thousand years old and is s...

This past Sunday I was able to attend some of the St. John's Emmanuel Music concert in Cole Chapel. It was a different experience than what would normally experience. It actually brought back memories for me when I was younger and I would travel for long car rides with my Grandparents and they would play Johann Sebastian Bach in the car. To be honest this would do one thing, me begging them to turn it down or it would put me to sleep. But since I was very young back then I was not able to appreciate the history behind the music. As an adult now it is amazing to see the skill behind the orchestra and the singing talent that takes place. The vocal strength that is needed to achieve such a sound will forever impress me. Something that stood out to me during the performance was the location. Usually with big classical shows in the city you picture a small music hall, however, being a small college this concert took place in the chapel. This was fitting since there is a religious backg...

For Spring Break some friends and I went to Montreal for the weekend. Their food of choice for their city is Poutine. This is the combination of french fries, gravy, and cheese. Of course you have the option to put many more things on it. It smelled great from outside all the restaurants and we kept saying how we had to try it (this also clearly affected our sense of smell).  On our last night we tried to go to one of the best places where it was served however, the line was out the door and we left Montreal without trying poutine. I have now personally decided the next time I go the first thing I will eat there is poutine. Aside from the fact that I didn't get to experience poutine, it was interesting to go to another country where their most known food is almost always available.

The idea of taste and food varies for every person. In fact every person has a special meal with is their favorite and everyone loves their meal prepared a certain way. A perfect example of this would be how someone would like their Chipotle burrito. They have all the options in front of you so the customer can choose what ingredients they would like to fulfill their needs when it comes to taste and flavorful pleasure. Another interesting idea is how one prepares themselves for a meal when it is related to a holiday. For example being Jewish, whenever, Hanukkah is near I am always ready for my grandmothers Latkes, or when it is passover it is expected that I am at the Seder or eating Matzah or a "Hillel Sandwich". Prior to eating these items before a holiday celebration you can already sense or make up in your mind exactly what the taste or smell will be. This is what makes celebration food so special.

Smell for humans is used for multiple purposes. Smell helps us detect and sense what is around us. We can smell food, which can release serotonin too make us happy. We can also smell something bad and know that this object is bad for us or not beneficial to our well being. It can also be used for our defenses for example if we smelled gasoline or something burning we would know to leave the area due to our senses. Smell can also be used as an attraction, smelling good helps us attract others and be presentable to others. Also after taking Professor Kirkpatrick's Brain Mind and Behavior class in the fall it was interesting to see the idea of smell and talk about it more informally compared to her class.

As social beings, taste and sound brings us together for celebration, religious gatherings and so on.   We see how food and music can as well, a perfect example of this is at a Passover Seder. At a Seder there is constant food and chanting that takes place throughout the gathering. Also each food has a certain meaning for example horseradish is for bitterness. You also dip celery in salt water, all equal to different flavors. Matzo is the food of choice to symbolize the Israelite slaves not able to use yeast to get their bread to rise. Food is needed for our survival, it gives us energy and keeps us going. Taste is vital to the senses things that taste good make us happy and things that don't make us upset.