Have you ever caught a faint trace of a smell and been instantly transported back to a time and place in the past……..the smell of cut grass awakening memories of school sports day, the fragrance of sunscreen whisking you back to long hot summer days at the beach.  Sometimes it can even evoke a rush of emotion which only serves to strengthen the connection between the scent and the memory.

So how does it work?  What makes this connection happen?  Here’s the scientific bit!! Smell receptors in the nose transport information about the scent to the olfactory bulb, which sits just above the eyes.  The olfactory bulb is directly connected to the brains centre of emotions, the amygdala, and is also linked to the hippocampus – the part of the brain associated with memory.  Our sense of smell is probably the most powerful sense we possess. Smell and emotion are rooted in the same area of the brain, no other sense has this deep access to the part of the brain where emotions are born and memories are stored.

On first encounter with a new scent we link it to an event, a thing, a person or even a moment.  Allowing your brain to create the link between smell and memory. On coming across that scent again the memory is already there ready to evoke the feelings or mood you connect to that smell.

Scents can also be used to create a reaction in our mood, walking into a room fragranced with the scent of vanilla, jasmine or lavender is likely to improve our mood and evoke feelings of calm and happiness. Scents such as lemon or mint can be used to boost your energy and promote concentration and clarity.

Think about going to the Supermarket to do your weekly shop, there is a reason that they have the bakery, patisserie or fresh flowers near the entrance rather than the fish counter!  Or how about collecting your child from nursery where you walk through the door and you are greeted by the smell of the nappy bin or the lingering smells from lunchtime rather than a sense of the happy fun filled space that it is.

By creating an environment filled with pleasant smells which evoke feelings of calmness, positivity or other good emotions we can directly impact our short and long term mood.

So why not fill your space with beautiful scents to evoke those emotions that remind us of all of life’s beautiful memories and Moments.