Common experience tells us that particular scents of childhood can leave quite an impression, for better or for worse. Now, researchers reporting the results of a brain imaging study online on November 5th in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication, show that first scents really do enjoy a “privileged” status in the brain.
— From Early Scents Really Do Get ‘Etched’ In The Brain at Science Daily, with thanks to Ruth for the link!
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Seems like yet another good argument for people to give their young children a rich menu of experiences — a wide variety of sounds, sights, tastes, AND smells!
Yes, although gosh…like there isn’t enough to worry about when caring for a newborn!
I instantly thought of Proust’s À la recherche du temps perdu when I glanced over the title of this post. I still love the fragrance of water color paint sets, grass, crayons, brownies and fresh water ponds that still linger from my childhood, and my children take pleasure in all sorts of scents from fruit-scented markers to how the air smells in winter’s midst. It isn’t related to my childhood, but I still think one of the absolute most beautiful scents is the smell of an infant’s hair.
Baby head is the best
I’m all about my childhood scents – gasoline, steel, fire, turpentine, ganja (all courtesy of my hippie industrial artist Dad), and orange blossom, bleached grass, jasmine, cilantro and my Mum’s L’Air Du Temp Parfum… good stuff! Those are my instant-comfort scents… however contradictory they may be.
What is bleached grass?
I don’t want to know, but I can understand the whole childhood/ smell relationship. I remember books getting wet in the rain, Lavender Sachet fabric softener, pencil shavings-you get the idea.
You don’t want to know what?
What bleached grass is. I spent too much time around dogs growing up and that is the first thing that came to mind when I read, “bleached grass”. Sorry- just a sub-conscious thing coming out.