By Aditi Pai
Does the smell of sandalwood stoke memories of summer holidays at your grandparents’ home? Or does the fragrance of petrichor evoke images of cozy, romantic days? Smells and fragrances have this charming ability to strike a chord in the human mind and bring back a flood of memories associated with that particular smell.
Fragrances can evoke feelings, thoughts and even uplift your mood while you are stuck indoors
Does the smell of sandalwood stoke memories of summer holidays at your grandparents’ home? Or does the fragrance of petrichor evoke images of cozy, romantic days? Smells and fragrances have this charming ability to strike a chord in the human mind and bring back a flood of memories associated with that particular smell.
In a study that Nobel Laureates Richard Axel and Linda B Buck presented in 2004, it was evident that human beings are pre-coded to perceive almost 8,000 different odours. “These odour receptors help human beings memorise fragrances. Almost three per cent of human genes comprise the olfactory system. Understanding the vocabulary of fragrances is ingrained in humans and people further perceive fragrances through their experience, culture, memories, and through food,” says
