Oi! You smell!... Yes, you really do… and no, we’re not being insulting. It’s a total truism that each of us has an individual odor (and the reason we can smell our partner on a worn piece of clothing, or why we intuitively inhale so deeply when embracing a loved one).
This smell-tastic piece of trivia isn’t the only appeal our snouty facial appendage has to offer. Let’s delve into the mysterious world of aromas, and discover some stranger than fiction reasons why your sense of smell plays such a massive part in the oh-so odorous world in which we live…
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Smell is as old as life itself:
We unwittingly detect the chemical composition of our environment through both smell and taste. It’s a built-in safety mechanism that allows us to smell danger (think smoke, gas, etc.) before our conscious mind has a chance to catch up. Even single-cell organisms possess the same skills.
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You can smell fear and disgust:
When a person experiences such an emotion certain chemicals are emitted in their sweat. This is picked up by others around them who often mirror these emotions. In other words, fear really is contagious…
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There are at least 1 trillion different smells:
Up until recently, it was thought we could only differentiate between around 10,000 smells. But the latest scientific research from Rockefeller University, NYC, put that fallacy firmly to bed, proving that the human sense of smell can detect way more than previously thought.
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Think that’s a lot? We ain’t got nothing on Fido:
Humans have around 5 to 6 million cells dedicated to odor detection. But dogs have 220 million! Your dog is literally ruled by his nose, and the reason they spend most of their walks with their noses transfixed to the ground.
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Give it up for Girl Power:
It is scientifically proven that gals have a better sense of smell than guys. Scientists still aren’t quite sure why. It could be to do with the mother-child bond, how to “smell out” the best possible mate, or that they’ve got a more developed olfactory region of the brain. Get over it boys! Your lady just might have a superior brain to you, when it comes to her sense of smell, that is…
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Loss or decline in smell could warrant a visit to the doctor:
Some studies have shown that a decrease in the ability to smell could be a precursor to certain diseases, such as Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s. To be even more morose, a declining sense of smell might predict an increased likelihood of death within the next 5 years. So… If your sense of smell is changing, it could be a wake-up call to get some medical advice.
Smell is an intriguing subject, and a powerful one. It’s the reason that savvy companies are spending heavily into a concept known as scent marketing. After all… If we can recognize our significant other through smell alone, think of the power this brings to a business if it can cause the same allegiance.
The emergence of a whole new industry has grown thanks to our increased knowledge about the human sense of smell. The art of scent is something that moves our very subconscious, and companies such as Aroma360 are at the forefront of this fascinating field. With it now firmly proven that we can distinguish more than 1 trillion different fragrances.
