The amygdala, known as the source of emotions, and the hippocampus, known as our memory and learning center, are located in the limbic system. The olfactory bulb, stimulated by odor molecules, carries odor-related information to both the limbic system and the olfactory cortex in a straightforward way. Thus, our sense of smell adds a more emotional dimension to our memories than our other senses. The research conducted by neuroscientist Dr. Rachel Herz from Brown University has shown that memories triggered by odors are as accurate, detailed and vivid as those triggered by our senses of sight, hearing or touch. However, memories triggered by odors were found to be more emotional than those triggered by other senses.
So, can odors help us remember what we have learned?
The idea that odors can help us remember is supported by a well-established psychological phenomenon called context-dependent memory. Context-dependent memory is the phenomenon whereby information learned is remembered better when the individual is in the same environment or context in which the information was learned. According to Dr. Rachel Herz’s research on the phenomenon of context-dependent memory, the participants in the study, who were students, were asked to learn sixteen words in a room with an unfamiliar smell, and a week later they were tested to see how many words they remembered. While the first group was not exposed to any stress, the second group was asked to learn the words one hour before their exams, that is, by being exposed to stress. When the recalled words were tested one week later, neither group was exposed to stress. In addition, the same odor given to the environment during the learning phase was used throughout the test. The results showed that participants who were exposed to stress in the presence of an unfamiliar odor while learning words recalled more words than the other group. To summarize, although odors help us to remember what we have learned and our memories in a more emotional way, learning new information should be accompanied by both an unfamiliar odor and an intense emotion. Only in this way can odors be used as a tool to help us remember.
In conclusion, unlike our other senses, in the field of neuromarketing, odors, when associated with intense emotions, can help consumers emotionally remember products, brands, experiences and services. However, as mentioned in the previous article, when we experience an odor for the first time, we immediately associate it with the positive or negative emotion we feel in that context through odor-associative learning. This association determines our perception and reaction to this odor in the future. In other words, when using scents in the field of neuromarketing, it should be ensured that the consumer associates a scent that they will experience for the first time in a store with positive intense emotions. In order for this association to create a positive result, attention should be paid to, for example, the behavior of the employees towards consumers, the interior design of the store, the placement of the products and the avoidance of long queues. Thus, each time the consumer visits the store, they will perceive the odor in the environment and feel the positive emotions that they have previously associated with and will shop more frequently from this store. Conversely, if the consumer associates the odor with negative intense emotions when they experience it for the first time, they will remember the negative emotions they felt before every time they visit the store and experience the odor again in the future, and they will avoid shopping at the store. Therefore, if used consciously and carefully, scents are seen as an important strategy to enhance customer loyalty.
References
Nörobilim Uzmanı Yağmur Başak Ören
Herz, Rachel. The Scent of Desire: Discovering Our Enigmatic Sense of Smell. Harper Perennial, 2008.
Herz, Rachel S. “Are odors the best cues to memory? A cross‐modal comparison of associative memory stimulia.” Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, vol. 855, no. 1, 1998, pp. 670–674, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-6632.1998.tb10643.x.
Herz, Rachel S. “Emotion experienced during encoding enhances odor retrieval cue effectiveness.” The American Journal of Psychology, vol. 110, no. 4, 1997, p. 489, https://doi.org/10.2307/1423407.
