Which evokes more memories: a picture or a smell?

Answer 1

Smell. My Dad has died and as we were going through his things one item I kept was a cap he wore while gardening. It is stained and smells of hard working grime and sweat. I had many good things to eat and many beautiful flowers from the gardens he kept so I wanted the cap. I put it in a plastic zip lock bag and as strange as it sounds when I am really missing my Dad I can take the hat from the bag and smell him all over it. With my eyes closed I can see him working in the yard in his gardens. I feel as if he is holding me close because I can smell him. This is much more to me than just a picture.

Answer 2

Hmm... A hard one! With people, if I have a picture of someone for instance, I remember them a lot better that way than by like taking some of their clothes, because most of what I physically remember them is their face, not what they smell like, since we don't really tend to go around smelling our friends usually. (unless they forgot to shower.) ;) With places though, I think smell evokes stronger memories. Especially as I get older, I know lots of times I'll go to a place that I went to when I was a little kid and think it looks a lot different, (turns out stuff looks a lot smaller from five feet then it did as a three foot little toddler...) but it still smells the same and the smell brings back a rush of memories.

Answer 3

Smell. It evokes the most because the human brain remembers smells the most and therefore it evokes memories because you will think of that when you smell!

Answer 4

Smell. Last night we visited our old church after moving away 11 yrs. ago. When we stepped inside the smell was the same and brought back floods of sweet memories. My daughters even said that it still smelled the same, and they were only 2 and 3 yrs. old at the time we left!

Answer 5

Picture.

Answer 6

Picture. For a smell you actually have to think about it, pictures are instant memories.

Answer 7

for me its the smell. i can smell something similar to a beach and remember what i did the whole day at a beach. but if i see a picture i only remember whats in the picture. so i wud say smell

Answer 8

Picture. Because a picture reminds me of the smells, sounds, feelings... everything.

Answer 9

Smells use more of the brain, creating stronger feelings of memory. Think of it this way, would looking at or smelling a grilled steak remind you of the taste?

Answer 10

A smell is the strongest memory trigger for people.