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The Sense of Smell and Memory

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.

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The Sense of Smell and Emotions

Our sense of smell is more closely related to our emotions than our other senses, thanks to its direct connection to the limbic system and the amygdala. Compared to our other senses, our olfactory system is the first sense to develop in the womb and completes its development at 12 weeks. In other words, we all start learning about smells even before we are born, in the womb, in the amniotic fluid. Research has shown that what mothers consume during pregnancy affects the baby’s smell and taste preferences. In addition, it is known that the culture we belong to has a great influence on our smell and taste preferences.

Trygg Engen, who is considered to be the father of psychological research on smell, states that when we sense a smell for the first time, it does not actually mean anything to us. However, the context in which we experience this odor (place, situation, person or event) and, most importantly, the emotion that this context creates in us, become associated with the odor we experience. Depending on the odor that we experience and that becomes emotionally important, we form an idea of whether we like or dislike that odor. This theory, which explains how we acquire hedonic responses to odors, is called odor-associative learning. The most important point of the odor-associative learning theory is that how we feel when we experience an odor for the first time determines our hedonic perception of that odor in the future. In other words, the reason why we like an odor is because we had positive emotions when we experienced it for the first time, or because it is associated with something that evokes positive emotions in us. The same is true for odors we dislike; we dislike an odor if we had negative emotions when we first experienced it or if it is associated with something that evokes negative emotions in us. For example, an individual who associates the smell of rose water offered during the funeral of his/her mother with this painful and negative emotions, recalls those negative emotions every time he/she smells rose water throughout his/her life and therefore hates this smell.

To give an example from the field of neuromarketing; you entered a store and encountered a scent you have never experienced before. The products in the store, the layout of the products, the interior design of the store, the price range and the attitude of the employees made you feel valuable and satisfied. You associated these positive feelings with the unfamiliar odor in the environment through odor-associative learning. Thus, every time you visit that store and every time you sense that smell in the environment, you will feel the same positive emotions and you will start to shop at that store more often. Of course, in order for this relationship to continue, positive emotions should be evoked in the consumer continuously as much as possible. If the ambient scent is associated with negative emotions experienced in the store (waiting in long queues, indifferent behavior of employees, etc.), this will cause the consumer to avoid the store altogether and remember the negative experiences and emotions experienced in the store when the same scent is smelled. Therefore, when using scents as a neuromarketing strategy, it is necessary to consider the importance of the association of emotion and scent. If this association is made consciously, long-term customer loyalty can be achieved.

References

Neuroscientist Yağmur Başak Ören

Herz, Rachel. The Scent of Desire: Discovering Our Enigmatic Sense of Smell. Harper Perennial, 2008.