Memory refers to the  three major processes involved in its function: encoding, storage, and retrieval. From new memories, information must be changed into a usable form, which occurs through the process known asencoding. One information has been successfully encoded, it must be stored in memory for later use. Much of this stored memory lies outside of our awareness most of the time, except when we actually need to use it.

The retrieval process let us bring stored memories into conscious awake.The sense of smell is closely linked and connected with memory that probably more so than any of our other senses.

Those with full olfactory function may be able to think of smells that evoke particular memories; the scent of an orchard in blossom conjuring up recollections of a childhood picnic, for example.

This can often happen spontaneously, with a smell acting as a trigger in recalling a long-forgotten events or experiences.  Marcel Proust, in his ‘Remembrance of all Things Past’, wrote that a bite of a madeleine vividly recalled childhood memories of his aunt giving him the very same cake before going to mass on a Sunday

We have take our sense of smell in our daily lifes for granted, and think we really rely on our eyes and ears. Smell has been an integral part of evolution and survival of the fittest for our species in the past. Although humans rely less now on smell for survival a huge importance is still placed on smell today for taste enjoyment and attracting a partner through use of perfumes.

Online Sources:

psychology.about.com/od/cognitivepsychology/a/memory.htm

fifthsense.org.uk/what_is_smell/psychology/

air-aroma.com/blog/why-is-smell-important

Scientists have proved that smell and memory are connected and influence you history.We, students of year 7B, in the second trimester, learned a little bit about how the sense of smell is connected to our memory. But, for us to understand that, first we need to find out what is memory.

What is memory? Memory is what we remember, and what let us learn and adapt from previous experiences. It is our ability to remember past experiences and the process to recall learned facts, impressions, and habits.

How is the sense of smell connected to our memory? Let’s go to the main question, so, how is the sense of smell connected to our memory? The sense of smell is connected to our memory by the brain; they are connected because when you smell something it stays in your memory, if you smell again the same scent and recognize it, is because of your memory that recalls that moment. I interviewed Sandra from dance classes at Stance Dual and she said

I remember my aunt giving me some cake before going to mass on a Sunday.

Why is the sense of smell important? Smell is an important sense as it can alert us to danger like gas leaks, fire or rotten food but it is also vital for survival of most humans and animals as it enables them to track food and water.

Online Sources:

human-memory.net/intro_what.html
fifthsense.org.uk/what_is_smell/psychology

What is memory? Our memory is the ability to remember information and past experiences. The word “memory” comes from the Middle English “memorie”, ultimately from the latin “memoria”, meaning mindful and remembering. Memory can also be understood as storage capacity in a computer.

Why do we remember? When we smell something and we memory is activated, small patches on the back of our nose are working. Those are connected to our brain; that is why memory and olfactory system are deeply linked.

“Memory makes us. If we couldn’t recall the who, what, where, and when of our everyday lives, we would never be able to manage life. We mull over ideas in the present with our short-term (or working) memory, while we store past events and learned meanings in our long-term (episodic or semantic) memory.”

Real-Life Memories: One example, thinking of myself, is when I smell the scent of vanilla, red roses and cotton I am reminded me of home in Peru, I don´t know why it reminds me of Peru, but it does.

Online Sources:

psychologytoday.com/basics/memory
medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/sense+of+smell

Have you ever stopped to think how importat is memory in your life? But then, why is this text dealing with memory if it is all about the smell?

Do you know what memory is? Memory is what we remember as information and past experiences. It is like a storage of things learned and retained from our activities or experiences.

How does Smell work in relation to our memory? So, when your olfactory receptors are stimulated, they transmit impulses to your brain. This pathway is directly connected to you limbic system, the part of your brain that deals with emotions. The scent of mowed grass, for example, might remind you of a childhood summer holiday just as much as the smell of chocolate chip cookies makes you think of your grandmother.

How smell is important
If you think smell is a really important sense as it can alert us from danger like gas leaks, fire or rotten food it is also closely linked to parts of the brain that process emotion and memory. Unpleasant and bad smells actually send pain signals to the brain warning us of possible danger. As Thalassa Cruso explains:

“The sense os smell can be extraordinarly evocative, bringing back pictures as sharp photographs of scenes that had left the conscious mind”.

Online Sources:

fifthsense.org.uk/what_is_smell/psychology

www.human-memory.net/intro_what.html

After many researches, scientists could prove that smell and memory work together.

What is memory and smell? Memory is the mental capacity or faculty of retaining and reviving facts, events, and impressions, or of recalling and recognizing previous experiences. Scientifically speaking, smell is to perceive the odor or scent through the nose by means of the olfactory nerves.

What if we don’t sense it? Both are very important, for example. If you lose memory you will not remember anything, and if you lose the sense of smell, as it is connected with our other senses, we will have problems with the other senses – except the pain when someone punch your nose!

         Our sense of smell is connected to our memory because when we smell something, we are reminded of people, places, an object or food that were once part of our life.

Real life examples When I was 9 years old, sometimes I could smell something that reminded me of my grandpa’s perfume, so I thought that he was around whenever it happened – but he wasn’t. As Sara Zarr once said:

“When the remembering was done, the forgetting could begin.”