Necessity of Smell Revealed
Upon indulging my thoughts with the contents of, Smell, in "A Natural History of the Senses", I have been stuck with the image of thousands of colorful uniquely shaped molecules floating off of every surface around me and invading my nostrils. With such a variety of surfaces in almost every space, it is astonishing that one can possibly distinguish one smell from the next. However, I find it a rather disturbing that almost all manufactured products have been instilled with chemicals with the intention of slipping unconscious wants and desires into our daily lives. For example, as Diane Ackerman described, filling the air with the smell of pizza through the air conditioning of malls to make people want to eat food. Its the exact same idea as subliminal messaging, although it should be called "subliminal smelling" and its almost impossible for us to escape from. It appears our sense of smell, having once been so vital, allowing us to ...