Dear reader, it’s the weekend, and my favorite part of the week is writing these blogs without any interruptions by office calls. Bliss!
This post was triggered by a recent incident. How interesting nostalgia is and how it affects our day-to-day decisions. The marketing agencies pay special attention to these fragrances when they plan to sell products to you. From cars to restaurants and from cosmetics to florists, fragrances play a special role in making the right decisions.
My mom makes finger-licking-good food but the taste of granny’s food would never go out of my taste palate even though, the last time I had a taste of food made by her was some 16 years ago. She often used to make a sweet dish called “sayaa” (in our language) which is made of rice flour and loaded with ghee and dry fruits. Every time mom starts shallow frying dry fruit in ghee, my mind automatically remembers that taste of that dish that Nani made for us every summer vacation.
Did you know that the sense of smell, which is a memory stimulator, connects with the emotional centers of the brain?
I can recollect so many memories just by the fragrance, I am sharing a few of my favorites with you:
Petrichor; a smell of fresh rain
I was in 12th standard when I went to my grandma’s place for a month after board exams. My hometown is in a hilly area and one of the most beautiful places that I have ever seen in my three decades of life. River, trees laden with mangoes, pleasant weather, and mountains, what else is required to make a place so picturesque? I stay in an apartment nowadays, far away from the mountains but every time it rains in Delhi, I close my eyes, and that earthen fragrance takes me back to that same place always. It is in my muscle memory and a smile automatically pops up every time it starts raining. Rain makes me happy. The fresh smell of rain always brings back those beautiful days and my heart longs for to be back in the mountains.
Newborn babies
I was in 9th standard when my baby brother was born and I was on cloud nine. The emotions were at their peak. We have been waiting for the news and it reached us when we were in school. We were three sisters and it felt like the best gift to us. I wanted to fly once the classes were over to see the cutest and smallest human being in the family. I remember the first time I held him in my arms he smelled so unique and I realized what a newborn smells like. However, I always wondered why he puked so much until I became a mom and realized what reflex meant.
Years after these memories, I and my friend were expecting at the same time and we delivered our babies in a week’s difference. While I chose to stay-at-home mom, she continued her job once her maternity leaves were over.
Did you know, that sense of smell helps babies bond with their family, be wary of strangers from friends, recognize comfort objects, enjoy food, etc.? We both were blessed with daughters and new moms often find comfort in sharing what they are going through. During one such conversation, I got to know that all he needed were her mom’s clothes to soothe the little one. That 3-month-old baby used to sleep peacefully for hours as long as she was holding onto her mom’s clothes.
I guess the fragrance magic works vice versa, meaning as much as the baby remembers mom’s fragrance, moms do the same!
Here is how we can boost our memory using fragrances or scents:
Neurologically, scents trigger memories because the brain processes scent in the areas of emotional and episodic memories which are the amygdala and hippocampus. Have you heard of “aromachology”, it is the study of the influence of odors on human behavior and examines the relationship between feelings and emotions.
- Lavender essential oil diffuser can help you relax and sleep better at night.
- Rosemary oil can help you be more alert and help in improving memories.
- Interstingly, citrus scents like orange can lower your anxiety and make you feel happier when you feel stressed.
Our brain is like any other muscle and just like we need physical exercise to keep our body fit, we also need exercises to keep our brain strong. If we surround ourselves with interesting and stimulating scents/fragrances/things, it’s like giving the brain a really good workout. Environmental enrichment is a wonderful way of physical and mental exercise. Smelling interesting scents can also make our brain function better, especially when it comes to remembering things.
Hope these pointers will help you narrow down if you are planning to buy some essential oil soon. I have tried these with my kids too especially when they are under the weather and eucalyptus oil definitely helps soothe them.
Happy parenting mamas!
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