The five senses and memory.

 

The five senses are broken down to which one’s the first to ring a bell. Smell is number one and focused on, and the other senses are brought up as well. The sense of smell, however, seems to be the strongest trigger of a memory. Smell is hard to describe, unlike the other senses. You can compare and contrast, but it is hard to pinpoint an exact name of a smell. Smell is able to bring up the earliest memories you can possibly have. Everyone’s had a sense that triggers a memory, but it’s mostly the smells that are probably the most triggered from the other five senses. Taste maybe the second fastest to correlate a memory with.   Here’s a link. I’ve had. http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20120312-why-can-smells-unlock-memories

 

16 thoughts on “The five senses and memory.”

  1. I can relate to the article due to my own personal experiences. I had flashbacks and even nostalgia sometimes due to some scents that touched my nose. For example, I had a flashback recently about my middle school friend when I smelled the same scent of perfume from some guy that was standing next to me in the train.

  2. Yes, I think this is true. I have had many instances when I would smell something and it immediately would make me remember something from my childhood or something I had experienced before in my adult years. This article was truly insightful.

  3. i feel that smell brings about a strong sense of nostalgia. when my house is filled with the smell of my mom’s cooking, it brings back good memories. the article was very interesting and enjoyable to read.

  4. I can also relate to this article because in my past experiences I may not remember how something may taste or look like but if something smells really bad that’s a memory that will never be forgotten

  5. The five senses and its association with memory are quite interesting. In my experience, senses have triggered past memories whether it’s hearing a familiar tune or tasting a particular flavor. In comparison to other people, it is also evident that the sense of smell is the first to trigger the strongest and earliest memories. However, there were many times in which smell brought nostalgic feelings but the memory that was associated with remained unclear. In addition, the sense of smell also brought negative feelings. For example, an unpleasant smell has led to memory of a bad food I ate in the past. This memory is also supported by other senses such as taste and sight.

  6. This reminds me of the Twenty One Pilots song “Stressed Out”:
    “Sometimes a certain smell will take me back to when I was young
    How come I’m never able to identify where it’s coming from
    I’d make a candle out of it if I ever found it
    Try to sell it, never sell out of it, I’d probably only sell one

    It’d be to my brother, ’cause we have the same nose
    Same clothes homegrown a stone’s throw from a creek we used to roam
    But it would remind us of when nothing really mattered”

    Very interesting article.

  7. I would like to add I think taste has the same effect. The smell and taste of my parents cooking also brings back memories. Something about a distinct taste can trigger.

  8. i feel that we must acknowledge our five senses and not take them for granted. one of the senses we most rely on in this day and age is our sight. what would be worth living if we was blind and not being able to view the beauty of this world? This is primarily the reason why i greatly appreciate blind people i see on the streets. They have sticks and their dogs to lead them but when i picture myself in their shoes i still think to myself how?.. this is not enough. therefore i feel our senses especially our vision is something not to take for granted.

Leave a Reply