According to moodo blog, scientists believe that our sense of smell triggers memory more than other senses because those do not pass through these areas of the brain.
How does scent affect the brain?
The hippocampus is also where short-term memories turn into long-term memories.
Since smell processing is also closely related to the hippocampus, scents and emotions are tightly intertwined.
Our sense of smell is constantly taking us somewhere. As we journey in and out of memories and along with them, it invokes a range of emotions that tie to our present situation in either clear or very subtle ways.
Why do scents trigger emotion?
Memories are always intertwined with emotions.
For example, when you reminisce about a vacation you often remember the joy of freedom.
Memories are often associated with automatic emotions. Therefore, when we experience a scent that is stored in our memory, our brain tends to correlate it with certain recollections and the emotions involved with them emerge in tandem.
To illustrate, consider a childhood memory that involves the smell of fresh-baked cookies.
This scent may remind you of afternoons spent with your grandparents many years back, while for someone else it can invoke memories of a very specific bakery, depending on the interaction between the scent and our own unique memories.
Do different smells affect your mood?
The way our brain receives and processes odors is complex and much of it still remains to be discovered. But there is no doubt that scent affects our mood. Most people who walk into a room that smells of jasmine, vanilla or lavender, are likely to improve their mood. However, if the room smells of garbage that has not been tossed out for a couple of weeks, most of us will feel quite the opposite.
Indeed, smells can affect both our short and long term moods. Creating an environment with pleasant smells that evoke positive, calm or otherwise good emotions is rather simple and can have a profound impact on our mood.
Evidence to that is the increasing use of aroma diffusers created and customized to ensure a good scent in our environment.