Different factors can influence our perception of smells, have you ever thought about how this happens? Or why? Some smells are pleasant and bring us good memories, while others are bad and are often unbearable.
In addition to personal experience, the chemistry of odors may explain why there are different interpretations of smells. That is, the reason why some aromas that are not pleasant to us are appreciated by other people. Follow the article and find out.
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At the time of our breathing, our nostrils capture floating molecules in the air that go to the nasal passages, among these molecules are odor molecules. In the region of the nasal cavities, the odor molecules adhere to the mucous membrane and the olfactory sensory neurons present in them connect the molecules. After this connection, the odor information reaches a region of the brain called the piriform cortex, part of the limbic system.
The structures of this system are responsible for the connection between the brain and emotions, that is, it is a fundamental part for the interpretation of smells differently by each person. Communication between the olfactory and limbic systems occurs through 3 limbic structures, namely: the amygdala, the hippocampus and the hypothalamus. Each has a different function, the amygdala is responsible for the expression and experience of emotions, while the hippocampus does part of building associative memory and ultimately the hypothalamus is the site that controls hunger, thirst, and cycles circadians.
After the limbic system, the smell signal passes through the orbitofrontal cortex, where the information joins the system responsible for taste. At this point the brain can interpret the taste.
The whole process only ends in the neocortex. In this place all the information received will be considered, performed by the brain a cognitive processing. It is at this point that each individual will store the experience in a way, because it is there that the brain will create associations with certain odors. Depending on when the odor was detected, it may have positive or negative memory storage. That is, if at the time of exposure to the odor the person was in a positive context, the smell will probably please him in other situations.
