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In fact, there's increasing excitement in the scientific community about the power of our sense of smell, and what consequences this may have for psychological and physiological health. Though much of the research is in its infancy, various studies have shown that scents like peppermint, vanilla and coffee may have therapeutic effects.
— From Smell yourself well at The Independent, with many thanks to Bela for the link!
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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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“It’s true, some people have a very, very sensitive sense of smell, a natural way of identifying scents,” Penot says—but even some world-renowned perfumers do not fall into that category. “I’m not naming names,” he laughs. “I know some perfumers who are very bad at recognizing ingredients in a perfume—really bad. But they’re amazing artists doing beautiful work.”
— Fabrice Penot of Le Labo, quoted in The Scent Detective: How to Sniff Out Fragrances at Elle magazine.
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Chemical identifiers secreted from the genital glands of lemurs, allow them to avoid incest and also to engage in nepotism. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Evolutionary Biology have identified the smells used by both male and female ring-tailed lemurs to advertize their family ties.
— From Scent signals stop incest in lemurs at Physorg.
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The aroma of an old book is familiar to every user of a traditional library. A combination of grassy notes with a tang of acids and a hint of vanilla over an underlying mustiness, this unmistakable smell is as much part of the book as its contents.
— Quoted in Scientists nose out clue to preserving books: their smell at the Guardian.