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| A photo from my walk. Taken outside The Vic Theatre. |
I've recently developed a habit of taking hour long walks at night to clear my mind. Tonight, I decided to go along a different route and found myself recalling a fond memory. A few years ago I went with some friends to a Kooks concert at the Vic, which is now not far from my apartment. As I walked under the brightly lit awning, I began thinking about that night. Not the faces, the people, or the music...my memory was focused on the smell. The concert was on a humid night at the end of May, so it smelled like summer rain. Despite the brisk early fall breeze this evening, all I could smell was summer. Where did my mind take me next? To the land of contemplating the link between olfaction and memory of course.
It seems that certain smells evoke memories or thoughts about specific people or places. Recently, I gave a few sweaters to a friend who compared wearing them to a "big Kristina hug" because they still smelled like me. Personally, smell evokes the strongest memories for me...closely followed by music. It's as if one whiff envelopes me in an intoxicating synesthesia and suddenly I'm smelling emotions or colors. I searched the internet for an article I'd read a couple of years ago (you can find it here). The bottom line is that research has suggested a direct neural link between the hippocampus (region of your brain concerned with memory) and the olfactory cortex. The article also links to this paper if you want to read more.
What I find most interesting is how emotional these odor-evoked recollections can be. It's a testament to the complexity of memory. Not only are we able to recall events, but we can recreate the entire scene down to the smell of the air. In a way, these memories inject new life into the past. The dimensions of our recollection interact once again, producing a new manifestation of an event, person, or place. This manifestation can subsequently influence our present emotional state and create more interconnected memories. The cycle can perpetuate the essence of a single memory throughout our entire lives. In the end, the amalgamation of these memory cycles is what we call...well..life...
On a lighter note, I guess I should start giving more thought the perfume I decide to wear for a big event...
One of my favorite smells is of birthday candles right after you blow them out, and I guess matches too by extension.
ReplyDeleteThis phenomenon has always been so fascinating for me. Especially with music. Certain musics are season, I think, like food. But some are only that way for an individual.
I always associate colors with memories or music. The new Bon Iver album is an unshakable periwinkle to me. And I find that memories or even long periods of my life, once they become relegated to the past take on a different hue in my mind. Whether this is because of the music I was listening to, the time of year, or just a subtle dimming to darker shades as time goes by, I'm not sure. Maybe it's a bit of everything.
seasonal* whomp.
ReplyDeletethat makes a lot of sense! research findings suggest a link between creativity/art/music and synesthesia. (here's an article: http://daysyn.com/Wardetal2008.pdf)
ReplyDeletecognitive scientists claim that the heart of creativity lies in analogy and metaphor. creative and artistic people have the ability to abstract more shared structures between two concepts. synesthesia breaks down the boundaries between concepts in the brain and can actually allow for more creativity!