Ever wish you could forget smells?
The year is 2004. I am in love with the first boyfriend I ever had. I’ve already named our future children and practiced my new signature with this last name in my school planner a hundred times. Pure bliss for an entire 8 months until he dumped me on the phone the night before our end of year school dance. My heart was shattered and I didn’t know how I would ever go on.
But like most young love my heartache was cured with some ice cream, a best friend sleepover and the newest Leo DiCaprio movie. There were moments I was sad like having to see him in the hallways of our high school or walking by Abercrombie in the mall where I would get a whiff of his favorite cologne and it would all come rushing back to me.
I never understood the intense link between smells and memory until I experienced my first break up and realized there was nothing I could do to avoid re thinking of my ex if I caught a smell of his old cologne Fierce. This chart does a good job explaining the powerful link between smell, memory and emotion.
The most receptors in the body are related to smell. In fact according to this chart by FragranceX, we have 400 receptors for smell verses only 4 for light and touch. Our nose plays a huge role in our emotions and unfortunately comes with both good and bad memories. I do have a lot of great memories tied to smells like my grandparents cedar toy box or the salty ocean that I spent my summers on as a kid. Luckily I don’t smell Fierce that much anymore but there are still times someone will be wearing it and transported back to that one jerk that broke my heart in 10th grade.
