The power of smell 氣味的力量

有沒有某種氣味一下就喚起瞭你對舊人舊事的記憶？氣味與我們的性格和記憶之間似乎存在著心理層面的聯系。我們出生時，大腦中處理氣味的區域是空的，人們對氣味的反應是後天習得的，因此也就各不相同。有一些研究甚至表明，某些氣味會影響我們的認知。本期節目探討氣味的力量。

詞匯：smell 氣味

Have you ever caught a whiff of something and been strongly reminded of a person or place? It seems there is a deep psychological link between smells, our personality and our memory. Some research even suggests that smells can influence our cognition.

So, why do smells take us back? Roja Dove, a perfumer, told the AYYBLOG that when we are born, the olfactory bulb, which is the area in our brain that processes smell, is empty. Therefore, our responses to smell are learnt and very personal to the individual. This means that when we smell an odour again, the original and unique memory comes flooding back because of the association.

Our awareness of smells is primarily unconscious, according to Andreas Keller from the Department of Philosophy at City University of New York. This means we are not actively aware of them unless they are extremely strong. But, low–level smells are still picked up because the scent receptors in our brain are so powerful that we unconsciously register them. In fact, various studies have found the olfactory bulb sends more neurons to more areas of our brain than our hearing or vision.

Research suggests that the power of smell can also affect how the brain performs, especially when it comes to the aroma of essential oils. Mark Moss, from the Department of Psychology at Northumbria University, found that sage and peppermint show general positive effects on cognition while the smell of rosemary can enhance our memory. He also investigated lavender which he says “tends to impair memory and slow down reaction time. But research by others have [has] shown it to be useful in reducing pre-treatment anxiety in dental and medical situations”.

So, don’t take your nose for granted. It really is powerful!

詞匯表

whiff （一股）氣味
psychological 心理的
smell 氣味
cognition 認知
take (someone) back 喚起（某人的）記憶
perfumer 調香師，香水調配師
olfactory bulb 嗅球
odour （尤指難聞的）氣味
flood back （回憶）湧現
unconscious 無意識的
low-level 低水平的，（此處指氣味）淡薄的
pick up 捕捉
scent receptor 嗅覺感受器
neuron 神經元
hearing 聽覺
vision 視覺
aroma 香氣，芳香
essential oil 精油
sage 鼠尾草
peppermint 胡椒薄荷
rosemary 迷迭香
lavender 薰衣草