According to research conducted by world-renowned neuroscientist Dr. Rachel Herz of Brown University, when participants were asked which of the senses of sight, hearing and smell they would be willing to give up, 84.6 percent of the participants preferred to give up their sense of smell, which is considerably higher than those who preferred their sense of sight and hearing. What exactly is the sense of smell that many people would rather give up than their sense of sight and hearing?
Olfactory perception begins when molecules in the air filter through our nose and encounter olfactory receptors. This encounter involves each molecule fitting into a single receptor like a puzzle piece. As a result, neural signals are sent via olfactory nerves first to the olfactory bulb in the brain and then to the limbic system, which will be discussed in more detail.
Our sense of smell and our emotions are very closely connected. Both are located in the network of neural structures known as the limbic system. Unlike our other senses (sight, hearing, touch and taste), olfactory nerves are directly connected to the limbic system, meaning that our sense of smell reaches the limbic system by following a direct path in the brain. All our senses other than smell are processed in the brain after being filtered by the thalamus in the limbic system. Therefore, our sense of smell can create emotions without needing to be filtered.
The most important structure in the limbic system that interacts with our sense of smell is the amygdala. The amygdala is known as the structure in the brain where emotions are processed and without it, it is not possible for us to process our emotional experiences, express our emotions and learn from our emotions. According to brain imaging studies, the amygdala is activated when we smell ascent. In fact, it has been found that the amygdala displays more intense activation as our emotional reaction to the scentthat we smell increases. In addition, the amygdala also plays a major role in the formation of long-term memory due to its close relationship with the hippocampus, which is located in the limbic system and is known as our memory center. Although all our senses contribute to memory formation, our sense of smell adds a more emotional dimension to our memories compared to our other senses.
In the context of neuromarketing, our sense of smell is slowly gaining ground in this field. In order to enrich the consumer’s product experience, to make their relationship with the product and brand more emotional, and even to change their emotional mood for the better, many companies have started to use the olfactory perception as a marketing strategy. For this reason, companies that provide consultancy on scent branding and design custom scents for companies using artificial intelligence technologyhave emerged.
In conclusion, the use of the sense of smell in the field of neuromarketing is a promising strategy that will enable consumers to establish emotional connections with brands, products, services and experiences in the upcoming future.
References
Neuroscientist Yağmur Başak Ören
Herz, Rachel S., and Martha R. Bajec. “Your money or your sense of smell? A comparative analysis of the sensory and psychological value of olfaction.” Brain Sciences, vol. 12, no. 3, 2022, p. 299, https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12030299.
Herz, Rachel. The Scent of Desire: Discovering Our Enigmatic Sense of Smell. Harper Perennial, 2008.
Ozan, Vedat. Kokular Kitabı. Everest, 2016.
