Pleasant Smells May Help You Remember Things Better
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We have all experienced the strong link between smell and memory. A whiff of chlorine probably reminds you of summer pool parties, while the scent of flowers may bring back memories of your grandma's garden. Now, researchers from the University of California, Irvine (UCI) have found that breathing in pleasant aromas could even help improve memory and learning.
The study, led by Cynthia Woo, involved 43 healthy adults aged between 60 and 85. The scientists divided them into two groups. The test group was provided with scent-releasing machines and some natural oils with different fragrances. They included orange, eucalyptus, lemon, peppermint, rosemary, and lavender. The control group was given the same equipment. However, the natural oils they received had small amounts of the different fragrances.
The participants were asked to use one of the scented oils to perfume their homes for two hours every night for six months. They were also required to rotate the fragrances and use a different one each night.
At the end of the six months, all volunteers took a word list test commonly used to evaluate memory. The group exposed to the heavily scented oils outperformed the control group by an astounding 226 percent!
Woo and her team maintain that it does not matter when the scents are inhaled. However, varying the fragrances is of utmost importance. The scientists believe the novelty of different smells helps stimulate the memory centers of human brains.
The findings were published in the journal Frontiers in Neuroscience on July 24, 2023. They build upon previous research with similar results. In that case, the volunteers were asked to rotate between 40 scents over the course of 15 days. The sample size of both the studies was small. But they demonstrate the impact of smell on our ability to remember things. Woo's team thinks this simple action could reduce memory loss in older adults. It could probably also help improve memory in younger people.
The UCI team next plans to conduct a similar study on older people already suffering from memory loss. They are eager to learn if pleasant smells can help reverse the memory decline.
Resources: news.icu.edu, NPR.org, Frontiers.org
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48 Comments
iceyqueen11 daysMaybe I'll use it to study for my English test coming up!- iceyqueen11 daysThat's nice to know!
chloee11121012 daysWhen I watch naruto and stuff I always remember a certain smell I had the first time I watched it. It's pretty cool!
newcreampuff11 daysYes i also remember playing fortnite mobile with you.
ganderson00212 daysand it smell like strawberries
thiago_c_banos12 daysImagine smelling flowers and remembering where you put your keys two weeks ago and your like that would have been useful lol.
summer_beach6 daysThat would be amazing! LOL
relarimelyzy12 daysi totally understand thio_O😁😝🎃- relarimelyzy12 dayswell to the same girl that posted she like her moms perfume me to it smell so good
hayleigh040913 daysThats cool. Maybe it will help me more even though I have a photographic memory its still good to develope your memory no matter when, where, or who. :)
slytherin4life12 daysSame I have a photographic memory.
krisaemberligh13 daysi smelled one and i rememberd that i like flowers- ganderson00213 daysit good