There is a reason why one whiff of your grandmother’s homemade bread recipe can transport you across time and space. Since your olfactory response is directly linked to the hippocampus, the memory center in your brain, memories pulled forth by smells are usually emotional ones. While they lack visual specifics and tactile details, they are fairly acute in beckoning back how you were feeling when you experienced a particular scent.
The holidays are particularly powerful when it comes to certain scents, which is why most of us can nestle so quickly into apple cider and are charmed by peppermints and cinnamon. What you may not know is that these scents have benefits other than making us feel warm and fuzzy. Here are a few gifts for your nose—and your brain—that you can keep close by.
- Pine wipes away stress. One more reason to get a real tree this Christmas is for all the ways pine reduces levels of stress, anxiety, and depressions. (It’s also less stressful for Mama Nature).
- Get a boost from citrus. When you’re looking for a shake-free energy surge, sniff scents like lemon and orange. They’ve been known to increase alertness and perk up your productivity.
- Get happy with vanilla. Study after study has shown that vanilla has the ability to increase feelings of joy and relaxation.
- Show some love with pumpkin. If you have a long honey-do list, consider that the best way to a man’s heart may be his nose. In one study, researcher’s discovered that 40% of male test subjects responded positively with pumpkin when combined with lavender.
- Concentrate on peppermint. With final exams looming, surround your students with the scent of peppermint, which is known to boost concentration, motivation, and cognitive stamina.
- An apple a day…can keep a headache away. Or a migraine. Research has shown the scent of apples can create a noticeable reduction in migraine and headache symptoms and also reduce their duration.
- Oil your appetite. Turns out just the smell of olive oil can help curb your cravings. Give your oil bottle a worthy whiff prior to your holiday feast and you may walk—and not roll—away from the table.
Now that you know how important smells are to recalling good moments, you can use them to help your family create some fond memories of your own. When adding scents to your day and your home, aim to go as naturally as possible to get maximum effects, using real ingredients (like vanilla beans and pine needles) or their essential oils.