The Nose Knows

"There is no accounting for love or why one look, one casual touch...one breath of perfumed air can ignite feelings so strong it's almost painful..."

-Alex & Emma, 2003

If there's one human sense that I loved the most, it would be the sense of smell (olfaction). If only for the way it sparks memories. Am I making sense?

I am sure that most of you have experienced catching a chance whiff of something and that transported you back to a particular time and place in your life. How does the brain anatomy allow certain smells to do that? What is the science behind this? Why do certain odors trigger or evoke emotional memories? And have the power to even unlock forgotten memories and associations?

I have this book (Private Pleasures by my all-time favorite Lawrence Sanders) which dealt with hormones and chemical reactions. It said that certain fragrances give a feeling of romance, intimacy and warm understanding. That there's one which would make you recall your first kiss, your wedding day, the birth of your first child; one that can bring back memories of happy days and enchanted nights, among others.

I read that anatomically, as explained by a neuroscientist who is an expert on olfactory memory, “The olfactory system has unique connections with two key regions in the brain's temporal lobe: the hippocampus, which is critical for laying down new long-term memories, and the amygdala, critical for processing emotions. Unlike all the other senses (i.e., vision, touch and hearing), which require many connections — synapses — to reach the hippocampus and amygdala, olfactory information has immediate access to those systems. It therefore has the ability to lay down long-lasting memories linked to particular times and places (a specialty of the hippocampus) and to include deep emotional resonance associated with those memories (processed by the amygdala).”

I remember Alex's ‘Eternity’ torturing me to death when I was on my first trimester with Cae and I would always throw up, the same with Safeguard green variant. I don’t know if it still exists today. Blech! There's also ‘Anais Anais’, which reminds me of my good friend Nessa in Australia, and from which my daughter got her name. ‘Miracle’ would always remind me of my husband, the way ‘Chic Petals' never fails to remind me of rainy afternoons, while waiting for a friend. My ‘Crazy Girl’ cologne once prompted Caehl to ask, “Mommy, what did you put on? It reminds me of cake.” My Hugo collection would also remind me of ex-loves, while Benetton Colours would always bring back memories of my first job.

I love the smell of freshly washed linen, freshly cut grass, and newly shampooed hair. I love the smell of shampoo on my hair each time I wake up in the morning. I love the scent of books, both old and new. I love spices. I love the scent of Vicks. And lavender. Peppermint. And new cars. I love tearing open a fresh bar of soap, and soaps remind me of my late Papa whose cheeks would always smell so nice. My son's kili-kili. I love the smell of lemon, of lime. Green apples. Cucumbers. Vanilla. And do you remember those packages or tissue-lined imported items sent to you by relatives from abroad? Do you agree with me that the stuff they send you has a distinctive smell (amoy-imported)?

There's also a scent that used to remind me of my late aunt, and days after she passed away, I would always pass by her bedroom to keep her alive. And then there are smells that remind me of college days, those rainy years in UST. There are scents that remind me of sunsets. And warm nights. And damp afternoons with a loved one. Of mauves and purples. Of yellows and oranges. Do rains smell? And do colors have scents? Hahaha I don't know.

I recall my niece Meg, when she was younger, and how she wouldn't let go of the shirt her mom wore the night before, because she’d find her comfort in there while my sister is out on an errand. The way old cupboards would bring you wonderful memories of your childhood, and happy moments with your grandparents. The way grade school students, as soon as they come out of their classrooms, would smell of rubber erasers and you would suddenly remember your good old school days.

Sometimes these memories are just lodged in your mind, entangled with all the other memories. Some of them are untouched, unspoken, and forgotten - whether intentional or unintentional. But it would take only one whiff, and they come rushing back and you start remembering. Again.

~TheGoodGirl