What do you think of when you smell freshly baked cookies, a gym bag
full of dirty clothes or a hot bowl of chicken soup? For most of us,
those scents are familiar and bring back memories from our past. Humans
have close to 20 million sensory receptors dedicated to smell and the
average person is able to recognize 10,000 different odors. The sense
of smell and the science behind it shows our feelings are closely
connected to our memories.
Click on the play button to play a video with more
information. (It may take several seconds to start playing.)
A first-of-its kind study about
scentology revealed that certain smells can evoke specific emotions
such as empathy, comfort and nostalgia. The study conducted by Dr. Alan
Hirsh, founder of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research
Foundation, polled a hundred participants to react to seven different
real-life situations which were designed to elicit empathy. It found
among many other findings that scents that comforted us in our
childhood are etched in our memories and increase our empathetic
response when we smell them again.
Talent/Guest: Dr. Alan R. Hirsch
Dr. Hirsch, neurologist
and psychiatrist, is a nationally recognized smell and taste expert. He
is the founder and neurological director of the Smell & Taste
Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago. Hirsch specializes in the
evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of smell-and-taste related
disorders. He has conducted more than 180 studies on sensory phenomena
and disorders exploring how enhancing certain smells and tastes can
impact eating patterns, mood, perception and learning speed. He is
currently conducting more than 80 studies on the effects of smell and
taste on weight loss, sleep, and consumer preferences, among many
others. Dr. Hirsch has also appeared as a featured guest on dozens of
syndicated television programs including Good Morning America and CNN.
His recent findings about the impact of smell and taste on appetite,
feelings of fullness and the ability to control weight have led to
appearances on Dateline NBC and The Food Network
