The Power of Scent

Continuing this odd and likely short patten of giving my posts topics, I have another post with a topic!  Today's topic is scent-themed anecdotes.  Emotions are extremely powerful and the ability to recall certain emotions, I would imagine, would be quite useful.

Please understand, I'm writing this from my apartment (using Windows Live Writer, I definitely recommend it), which doesn't have internet, since I was unwilling to pay the exorbitant cost per month.  This means I can't cross check any of my theories with any scientific studies that might give this post some credibility.  Also understand that I am not a scientist, psychologist, or any other -gist.  So, everything I'm saying has no real clout and it's just from my personal experience.  That was a fun disclaimer.

Scent is the most powerful sense for memory recall.  I say this because I have a favorite scent of lotion from Bath and Body Works.  Last year I bought 5 containers of it at the Bath and Body Works' sale.  Last January I was on campus for Winter Term; I stayed in one of my friend's rooms so I wouldn't have to pay room and board at my sorority house.  I used that lotion every night and every morning.  Now I have some of that lotion at the apartment and I used the other day.  Immediately I was transported back to January in Shlea's dorm room putting on lotion in between the bed and the tv/fridge.

I have these two scented stuffed animals.  They are covered in scented soy wax.  Either way, I got them around Thanksgiving, an unfortunate time when I happened to be in the hospital.  The reason I bought them was so that my hospital room wouldn't smell like a hospital room.  I was wildly successful and every person who walked into my room mentioned how it smelled of Holiday Festivities, including but not limited to cookies.  And now, every time my dad smells either of my scented stuffed animals, he thinks of my hospital room.  He told me that the he tries not to think of the hospital room, but usually fails.

Lots of scents have the capabilities to transport you to a different time and place.  From the scent of food to the scent of perfume.  Because I've already written a considerable amount, I'm going to save the rest of the post for later.  *This is so exciting, a two-part post!!*