Each day we breathe in billions of odorant molecules. These scents have a significant impact on our physical and emotional well-being. Learn some amazing facts about your sense of smell and its power to affect your health and pleasure.
Who among us cannot recall the smell of freshly-baked bread at dinner, the aroma of freshly-ground coffee in the morning, the heady scent of lilacs in the spring or the mouth-watering aroma of baked apples in the fall? Interestingly, while most of us can recall these scents, quite often we also associate distinct memories with them as well.
In the course of a day each of us will take over twenty thousand breaths, inhale over 438 cubic feet of air and take in countless billions of odorant molecules. Yet surprisingly, few of us will take notice of more than a mere handful of various scents. Because we are constantly surrounded by swirls of aromas that enter and emanate from our bodies, we become desensitized to their various scents.
Whether or not we are aware of them, these odours have a significant impact on our physical and emotional well-being.
· Did you know that your sense of smell is not only one of the first senses that you use as a newborn, but that it is the only one of your five senses that was fully mature at the moment of your birth?
· Can the scent of peppermint help you to stay awake?
· Does your hair colour affect the way you smell?
· Did you know that most of the flavour that you “taste” actually comes from your sense of smell?
· Did you know that your nose can help you to lose weight while helping your body absorb the maximum nutrients from your diet?
· Do most females have better noses than males?
· Can a loss of smell indicate the onset of Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease?
· Did you know that your sense of smell has a stronger link to your memory than any of your five senses?
· Do overweight people have a heightened sensory pleasure of eating?
· Did you know that no two apples smell alike?
· Is there a link between a loss of hearing and certain learning disorders?
· Did you know that, like your eyesight, your sense of smell diminishes as you age, but that you can “exercise” your nose to keep it “young?”
· Was Leonardo da Vinci a perfumist?
· Do people judge us by our scent?
This is the first in a series of 12 articles that explores the awesome power of our sense of smell and how you can harness its power for better health, pleasure and well-being.
Harnessing the Power of Scent for Enhanced Well-being
The power of scent is an often underestimated tool in influencing our emotions and behaviors. With the ability to trigger memories, control cravings, and even ignite sexuality, our sense of smell plays a crucial role in our overall quality of life. By understanding and utilizing the right fragrances, we can potentially shift our mood and improve our well-being.
Unlocking the Secrets of Your Sense of Smell: Part 9
Researchers have only just begun to scratch the surface about how our sense of smell relates to our various moods. Studies show that eight major factors of mood—such as stress, depression, apathy, happiness, sensuality, relaxation and stimulation—can be affected by fragrances.
Unlocking the Secrets of Your Sense of Smell: Part 7
Manufacturers and advertisers alike are often accused of over-exaggerating the effect that fragrances have on our sexuality, claiming that their fragrances will give its wearer the power to attract the opposite sex. Yet are these claims exaggerated?
