Do you ever wonder how scents and memories can take you somewhere else in just a second?
You can be going about a completely ordinary day when suddenly you smell something familiar and you’re somewhere else. Maybe you’re back at your grandma’s house, sitting in a movie theater, remembering someone you love, or thinking about something you haven’t thought about in years.
That happens to me all the time.
One of the smells that does it for me is Eucalyptus Spearmint from the Bath & Body Works Aromatherapy Stress Relief line. I remember falling in love with that scent more than 30 years ago.
I’ve bought it for my mom and her best friend over the years, too. Now when I walk into one of their homes and smell that familiar eucalyptus and mint, I’m reminded of smelling it for the first time all those years ago.
I’m not purposely trying to remember anything.
The memory just shows up.
And I love that.
Scents and Memories Don’t Have to Be From Long Ago
My 19-year-old son is probably one of the most nostalgic people I know.
We’ll be somewhere and he’ll suddenly notice a smell and tell me, “That reminds me of…” Then he’ll tell me about whatever memory has popped into his head.
I think it’s funny because he’s only 19, but he already has such a strong sense of nostalgia. We’ll be somewhere and a smell will remind him of something that happened years ago, or even just a particular place or time in his life. He notices those connections all the time, probably even more than I do.
One of his favorites is books.
Actually, I love the smell of books, too.
My son refuses to get a Kindle or another reading device because, for him, reading isn’t only about the words on the page. He loves the smell of a real book. He loves holding it and feeling the paper between his fingers as he turns the pages.
A screen just isn’t the same to him.
And I completely understand.
New books have their own smell, and old books have a completely different one. Even walking into a place filled with books has a recognizable smell.
For my son, taking the physical book away would mean taking away part of what he loves about reading.
Someday, when he’s much older than 19, I wonder what memories the smell of a book will bring back for him.
Some Smells Take Me Right Back
Once I started thinking about this, I realized how many smells in my own life already have memories attached to them.
Popcorn is one.
I smell popcorn and immediately think of movie theaters. That warm, buttery smell makes me think about settling into a theater seat and waiting for the movie to begin.
Mint is completely different.
Mint reminds me of my grandma.
Then there’s Eucalyptus Spearmint and the memories I’ve collected around that fragrance for more than 30 years.
Those smells don’t have anything to do with each other.
Except that they’re connected to my life.
And yours would probably be completely different.
Maybe bread baking reminds you of your mom’s kitchen. Maybe there’s a perfume that instantly makes you think of your grandmother. It could be freshly cut grass, sunscreen, crayons, Christmas trees, cinnamon, baby lotion, a campfire, a certain soap, or a meal someone you loved used to make.
I think that’s what makes scents and memories so personal. The same smell can mean something completely different to each of us.
Why Can a Smell Bring Back a Memory So Quickly?
There’s actually a reason this happens.
Our sense of smell has unusually close connections with areas of the brain involved in emotion and memory. After odor signals reach the olfactory bulb, information travels to areas that include the amygdala, which is involved with emotion, and the hippocampus, which plays an important role in memory.
That’s why a familiar smell can sometimes bring back more than the details of something that happened. It can bring back the feeling that went along with it.
And, of course, those feelings aren’t always happy.
A fragrance, food, building, smoke, cleaning product, or countless other smells can also be connected to something difficult. Two people could smell exactly the same thing and have completely different reactions because they’re remembering completely different experiences.
I find that fascinating.
We’re Still Making These Memories
Thinking about my son made me realize something I hadn’t really considered before.
We aren’t only remembering old scents and memories. We’re creating new connections right now.
At 19, my son already has smells connected to different parts of his life. Thirty years from now, he’ll have even more.
So will I.
There are probably ordinary smells around us today that we’ll encounter years from now and suddenly think, Oh my goodness, I remember that.
Maybe it’ll be the shampoo our child used. A favorite meal. The smell of Christmas. The pages of a book. Something our grandkids always eat when they come over. Or a fragrance we don’t even realize we’re going to miss someday.
That’s what I love about these little things.
We take photographs because we want to remember. We save old letters, children’s artwork, Christmas ornaments, family recipes, and keepsakes.
But nobody thinks to save a smell.
Somehow, our brains do that for us.
More than 30 years ago, I didn’t know that Eucalyptus Spearmint would someday carry memories with it. I just knew I loved how it smelled.
My son probably isn’t thinking about the memories he’s creating when he opens a book, smells those pages, and feels the paper between his fingers.
He’s just enjoying his book.
Maybe that’s how some of our favorite memories are made. We don’t recognize them as important while they’re happening. They’re just ordinary little pieces of life that stay with us.
Then one day, something familiar catches our attention.
And suddenly, we remember.
What smell can take you right back to a wonderful time, place, or person in your life?
Making every house feel a little more like home.
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