The Simple Things

Taking time to live well
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Taking Time to Live Well

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Illustration: Mia Charro

Illustration: Mia Charro

What do memories smell like?

Iona Bower April 11, 2019

Why your nose is the door to nostalgia

Ever sniffed the air in a good bakery and been transported instantly back to sitting by your grandmother’s Aga? Or walked into a primary school and found the smell of utilitarian floors and Dettol made you feel six again?

It’s really more surprising if this hasn’t happened to you, as smell is the most evocative of all our senses. Because our language is not so rich in words to describe smells as it is sights or sounds, they are harder to pinpoint and describe but smells work more efficiently with our brains to evoke memories than anything we see or hear.

The US journal Cerebral Cortex found that the reason for this is that our brains log smells away in the area used for storing long-term memories. In fact, we are able to recall twice as many memories when they are associated with a smell as when they aren’t.

This will be why shops and would-be house vendors bake bread - in hopes of transporting you to a time when you felt safe and at home, hoping your purse will fall open during this reverie. Too bad if your mum only ever bought Hovis and the only time you smelled bread in the oven was at your most-disliked aunt’s house…

And it’s true, smell can evoke very negative memory responses too. The scent of an ex-boyfriend’s brand of aftershave might make you feel heartbroken (or just furious) all over again, 20 years after he dumped you for Carol with the bad perm.

Whether smells take you back to happy times or upsetting ones, we’ve been fascinated this month by what smells evoke strong nostalgic responses in you. The Simple Things staff listed everything from specific brands of shampoo, to cut grass to horse manure among theirs! We’d love you to share yours with us in the comments below, too.

If you’d like to learn more about the power of scent, in our April issue, our ‘Know a Thing or Two’ feature is all about essential oils. It’s in the shops now. Just don’t go down the bakery aisle while you’re there or who knows what you’ll come back with. Freshly baked apple puff, anyone?

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe


More from our April issue…

Featured
Back cover.JPG
Apr 26, 2019
April: a final thought
Apr 26, 2019
Apr 26, 2019
Green and clean oven gel pic.jpg
Apr 22, 2019
Make: your own clean, green oven gel
Apr 22, 2019
Apr 22, 2019
Charlie and Cho Factory pic.jpg
Apr 14, 2019
Game: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Puzzler
Apr 14, 2019
Apr 14, 2019

More things to make you think…

Featured
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Jul 12, 2022
Think | Why we Love Tiny Stuff
Jul 12, 2022
Jul 12, 2022
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Feb 20, 2021
Why collecting is self caring
Feb 20, 2021
Feb 20, 2021
Clocks.JPG
Mar 25, 2019
British Summer Time: a brief history
Mar 25, 2019
Mar 25, 2019



InThink Tagsissue 82, April, smells, memory, aromatherapy
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  Buy ,  download  or  subscribe   See the sample of our latest issue  here   Buy a copy of our latest anthology:  A Year of Celebrations   Buy a copy of  Flourish 2 , our wellbeing bookazine  Listen to  our podcast  - Small Ways to Live Well
Feb 27, 2025
Feb 27, 2025

Buy, download or subscribe

See the sample of our latest issue here

Buy a copy of our latest anthology: A Year of Celebrations

Buy a copy of Flourish 2, our wellbeing bookazine

Listen to our podcast - Small Ways to Live Well

Feb 27, 2025
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The Simple Things is published by Iceberg Press

The Simple Things

Taking time to live well

We celebrate slowing down, enjoying what you have, making the most of where you live, enjoying the company of of friends and family, and feeding them well. We like to grow some of our own vegetables, visit local markets, rummage for vintage finds, and decorate our home with the plunder. We love being outdoors and enjoy the satisfaction that comes with a job well done.

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