Ever notice that some smells or sounds trigger memories?

Question

If I burn a certain kind of insence or listin to, say Toys in the attic, I always flash back to living in my brothers trailer when I was a teenager, and the fun times we had there, why do you think that is?

other things too, like smelling a cake cooking may make me think of my grandma , or car paint reminds me of my Dads garage, But it's like an instant trigger to those memories

Some time it is accompanied by a very bittersweet feeling in the chest, saddness, or a longing for that time.

Answer 1

Yeah I understand that. Sometimes I'm out and I smell my grandad's cigarettes, and I miss him badly. Makes me remember good times with him, and I feel very sad about it, 'cos he's gone.

I associate smells strongly. There's a particular smell and I'm not sure what it is, but it always makes me think of playing games at a friend's house years ago. I associate smells strongly with people too, and if I smell somethinG i associate with someone I think of them.

I guess it is part of encoding. When we remember something, we take note of the physical environment, so when we remember a person in a particular situation, we attatch sensory associations. When you think of your brother's trailers, there are other fractions of the memory encoded, including the sounds, smells, and probably feel of some things there. Hence, when you experience even just one of them, because they're encoded for something with a salinet emotional response, you remember it clearly, and you react accordingly, with nostalgia, and sometimes a longing for something taht you remember fondly.

Answer 2

True, i think the reason would be that our brain forms a connection to old memories through those smells. Like when i ever i take deep breaths in early morning i am reminded of my friend who died. And i think the same is the case with voices, when u hear a sad song u r lost in u r sad times. I think its also abt our mood and emotions.

Answer 3

Hey try this memory link.
In high school I used to study for exams with my fave radio station and the songs.
In one of my classes the teacher allowed the radio to run during tests.
Every song that came up while I was studying a particular section for the test, brought the memory as if i were reading it off of the page.
I learned from this and anytime I knew I needed to learn something that needed to be remembered, I incorporated a smell, sound or texture into the learning process, and voila! Success!
Its not just for formal study though, try it on anything, we can literally manipulate our ability to remember, by sound, smell and tactile senses.
Why do you think men are crazy for breasts?

Answer 4

When I was in therapy, I learned that smell is one of the strongest memory attatchments. I kept smelling sickeningly sweet flowers. But no one else couls smell it. It would really make me ill.
In therapy, I discovered that I was subconciously remembering the still bith of a child from several years earlier. I had never faced the grief and the therapy was preparing me for it.
The mind is a strange and wonderful place.

Answer 5

Hi,
Yes, I like the smell of freshly mowed grass, it reminds me of the Summers I spent as a kid in Missouri visiting with grand parents and other family members. This ability is just another wonderful gift from God, I don't think about why this is I'm just glad we have this ability.

Answer 6

Yes, the smell of coconut reminds me of spending time in Florida with my grandparents.

I like the because they aren't around anymore and they are good memories.

I don't know why that happens really.

Answer 7

Smell is one of the most evocative of our senses, and is that which most often provokes sharp memories.

Your anecdote about what you recall is similar to my own - banana nut bread takes me back to about age 5 when I last saw my father's parents at their old-fashioned home in Canada. her house constantly smelled of good cooking and especially that bread. The scent of autumn leaves burning instantly connects me to times as a teen in our Louisville, Kentucky home .... and even calls back memories of the sweaters we wore and how they felt - as well as the emotions of those days ....

Psychiatrists and neurologists have studied this extensively and have described it at length. it's a common human trait.

Answer 8

Yes, my sister (who spent a lot of time with my great-gram as a young child), opened gram's china cabinet (7 years after gram's death), and said, "Smells exactly the same."

Answer 9

I have been told thtat several times, and I partly believe it. However, by experiene I rely to the sight to bring back memories.

Answer 10

When I smell bleach it reminds me of Christmas. Don't know why. True story.