Science on human olfaction, he says, has traditionally taken a very “bottom-up” view of smell: A scent activates a particular olfactory receptor, which is registered in the brain. Now, scientists are increasingly aware that not only can smell affect our thoughts, but thoughts can affect what we smell. “Learning, experience, present context, past associations – all of these things can influence how you perceive a smell at any given time,” he says.
— Cognitive neuroscientist Jay Gottfried, quoted in The sweet smell of morality: how scent can shape our thinking at Boston.com
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Happy Valentine’s Day!
This article makes me sigh a little. I mean, really? Scientists are just figuring out now that smell perception is as bound to memory and culture and the rest of our “higher brain functions” as anything else? Just now beginning to see aroma as a language? Some interesting points about how marketers are adapting, though.
Funny –we knew this all along!
Happy VD to you too A!
Not sure if the article really accurately reflects the state of the research, so can’t comment.
It might be fun to try to track what’s going on days when one of those scents that sometimes smells good, sometimes doesn’t does or doesn’t.
I love the French study “that when a woman dropped an object from her purse in front of a stranger, the other person was more likely to pick it up and hand it to her when she was wearing perfume.” One more reason to smell great!
Depends on how you look at it … might be a reason *not* to wear perfume, depending on the context and how you want to be perceived.
That’s a good point. We don’t know if the perfume made the woman seem more attractive, helpless, or what. I have heard that job search consultants advise against wearing perfume to a job interview, because it is too likely to be misinterpreted or simply to distract the interviewer’s attention from the job seeker’s qualifications.
I realized that although I have enjoyed reading comments about the memories called up by vintage perfumes, it makes me a bit paranoid. I don’t really care if someone thinks it’s an old lady perfume, but what if I smell like someone’s evil aunt, ex-wife, or mean boss? In some ways, new niche perfumes would be less risky, since most people are unlikely to have encountered them.
I would never wear perfume to a job interview for a simpler reason: the person interviewing you might not like your taste in perfume, or might not like perfume at all. Not worth the risk.
That is so true.
“It might be fun to try to track what’s going on days when one of those scents that sometimes smells good, sometimes doesn’t does or doesn’t.”
nozknoz, I completely agree. I’ve always wondered why some days I crave a specific scent, and then, a few weeks or a month later, don’t want to wear it at all. I’ve lately decided to stay within the same fragrance family so I don’t disregard certain fragrances altogether!
(By the way, I’ve been a lurker for quite some time, but finally got up the nerve to post. I’m a wannabe perfumista who really wants to start trying niche fragrances.)
Hi and welcome!
Seconding the welcome, jbsundries, and please let me know if you come to any conclusions about the variation!
Uh oh JBS!!! Danger, danger, you are about to slip thru’ the wormhole!
heheheheheheh and we’ve brought another into the fold…..you need to tell us some of your favorite notes so we can make a million suggestions! It makes me positively giddy to think of the many things you’ll need to try!!
OK Daisy, here goes. This is based on the perfumes I’ve worn before and what’s worked well for me:
Rose, sandalwood, orange, mimosa, cherry blossom, lavender, jasmine, bergamot, woods (love woody drydowns), and musk.
I’m planning my first niche purchase already: a sample set from Tauer perfumes. I’ve been haunting his site off and on for about a year, and can’t wait to make my first purchase. I’m curious to smell his blend of incense and rose, and discover how he’s interpreted lavender.
Hi JB! A Tauer sample set was my very first niche purchase too, and I think you’re up for a great adventure. The scents are really something else, so special and well made and absolutely wonderful. I was overwhelmed when I first tried them (STRONG) and it was not Love-at-first-sniff – I think I had to scrub all of them on first tries. But the third or fourth time I tried Incense extreme and Incense Rosé, it was deep and complete love. So keep trying if you don’t love them all at first – it’s worth it. The samples are large spray samples, so you’ll have plenty of time to get familiar with the scents. Good luck!
This probably explains why I can spritz a bit of L’Artisan Parfumer’s L’Ete en Douce onto my mother’s wrist and have her snarl and tell me it’s “too heavy” – because she THINKS that every perfume I own is going to smell exactly like Amouage Epic Woman.
LOL!