The Hidden Power of Smell

Forget the smelling the roses. Your nose knows when winter has arrived. Scents of forest pine, spiced cinnamon and crisp, frosty air are a sensory boost and make the season come alive. Regardless of the season, scents have the power to evoke warmth and nostalgia, energize and uplift, or send shockwaves through your system. A pleasant aroma to you may be an offensive odor to someone else.

This is the wonderful and complex world of your olfactory system, the network of communication between your nose and brain. In an instant, your sense of smell taps into your emotional core, sends warning signals throughout your body, and activates memories. And its influence over mood, sleep, energy, appetite and joy is extraordinary.

Scent and Satiety

Have you found yourself suddenly hungry after walking past a restaurant? The smell of food literally makes your mouth water by triggering a digestive response. Brief exposure to food smells activates the release of saliva and gastric acid in preparation to receive a tasty dish.

But prolonged exposure to smells has the opposite effect by increasing satiety and suppressing appetite. You can take advantage of this built-in hunger control by eating with all your senses as you savor every bite.

Research found that the olfactory system responds differently to certain scents. For example, black pepper and vanilla essential oils increase appetite, while citrus and mint essential oils decrease it. *

Uplifting Aromas

Many of the terpenes—or fragrance compounds—that curb cravings are also known to energize and help balance mood. The olfactory system sends signals straight to the limbic system, especially the amygdala and hippocampus, where motivation, emotions and memories are activated.

Limonene is the zesty, most abundant citrus terpene found in many citrus fruits, and it can boost levels of mood-balancing serotonin. Menthol in peppermint has been shown to increase exercise performance. * And eucalyptus compounds eucalyptol and camphor boost mental alertness and fight fatigue.

Scents that Shape Sleep

Certain aromas can ease tension and shift your mind into relaxation mode by sending signals to your stress center. Lavender is perhaps the most universally recognized calming scent. Two potent terpenes—linalool and linalyl acetate—enhance GAMA activity, which you need to feel relaxed and drowsy. According to a study, lavender oil increases sleep quality and may be an effective intervention for countering serious sleep problems. *

Terpineol, found in pine, interacts with the body’s neurological and endocannabinoid systems to produce a sedative effect that relaxes muscles and winds down the brain. (For a soothing forest-y twist on a classic seasonal beverage, try our deliciously aromatic Winter Pine Hot Cocoa recipe.)

Comfort and Scent

Scent helps us feel closer to the people we love. A loved one’s favorite cologne or the way their hoodie smells can make us feel content, connected and even spark arousal. The familiarity of scent is also what helps a child feel comforted by their parent. But just as scents can evoke positive feelings, they can also be coded with negative memories.

When the olfactory bulb processes a scent, it triggers the release of neurotransmitters related to the emotions of the experience. A happy or nostalgic thought triggers feel-good hormones, such as dopamine and serotonin. On the other hand, an adverse emotion may trigger cortisol and adrenaline, two of the body’s stress hormones.

Hazard Protection

Have you noticed how quickly you react when you get a whiff of a gas leak or smoke from a fire? Or when you catch an unpleasant odor, such as second-hand smoke as you’re walking down the street or a co-worker’s microwaved fish leftovers?

Ever the protector, your olfactory system sprints into action to detect potential threats. It scans the composition of odors to identify the offending molecule, such as mercaptan added to natural gas, or trimethylamine in fish proteins. Through electrical impulses, it communicates with the brain to trigger the alarm and engage muscles, focus and other activities needed to keep you safe from harm.

Supporting Your Sense of Smell

Your olfactory system is connected to everything you do and turns everyday moments into satisfying moments of joy. This includes amplifying the flavor of foods. When you chew, the aromas travel up to your nasal passages, leading to a more complex flavor profile. Without a strong sense of smell, even the small pleasure of eating loses its spark.

To help keep your smell receptors nimble, practice smell training. Sniff a variety of potent aromas for 15 seconds, such as essential oils or fragrant household items like coffee or flowers, to stimulate the olfactory receptors and nerves.

Nourishing olfactory tissues is also vital. Certain nutrients have been identified as supporting a strong sense of smell:

• Vitamin A – promotes a healthy nasal lining, where receptors are located, and helps to renew and repair receptors *
• Vitamin D – enhances odor detection; a deficiency has been linked to a reduced sense of smell *
• Zinc – helps reduce nasal inflammation and supports a zinc-dependent enzyme that is vital for smell and taste *

Support your senses with daily nourishment from Body Kitchen Women’s Multi. It contains 100% of the recommended daily values of vitamins A and D, and zinc, plus B-vitamins and other nutrients that support olfactory tissue function.

With a few tiny shifts to your daily routine, you can help keep your senses strong, your smell active, and connections strong.