The power of smell 气味的力量

 

　　有没有某种气味一下就唤起了你对旧人旧事的记忆？气味与我们的性格和记忆之间似乎存在着心理层面的联系。我们出生时，大脑中处理气味的区域是空的，人们对气味的反应是后天习得的，因此也就各不相同。有一些研究甚至表明，某些气味会影响我们的认知。本期节目探讨气味的力量。

　　词汇：smell 气味

　　Have you ever caught a whiff of something and been strongly reminded of a person or place? It seems there is a deep psychological link between smells, our personality and our memory. Some research even suggests that smells can influence our cognition.

　　So, why do smells take us back? Roja Dove, a perfumer, told the BBC that when we are born, the olfactory¹ bulb, which is the area in our brain that processes smell, is empty. Therefore, our responses to smell are learnt and very personal to the individual. This means that when we smell an odour again, the original and unique memory comes flooding back because of the association.

　　Our awareness² of smells is primarily unconscious, according to Andreas Keller from the Department of Philosophy at City University of New York. This means we are not actively³ aware of them unless they are extremely strong. But, low-level smells are still picked up because the scent⁴ receptors in our brain are so powerful that we unconsciously register them. In fact, various studies have found the olfactory bulb sends more neurons to more areas of our brain than our hearing or vision.

　　Research suggests that the power of smell can also affect how the brain performs, especially when it comes to the aroma⁵ of essential oils. Mark Moss⁶, from the Department of Psychology⁷ at Northumbria University, found that sage⁸ and peppermint⁹ show general positive effects on cognition while the smell of rosemary can enhance our memory. He also investigated lavender which he says "tends to impair¹⁰ memory and slow down reaction time. But research by others have [has] shown it to be useful in reducing pre-treatment anxiety in dental and medical situations".

　　So, don't take your nose for granted. It really is powerful!

　　词汇表

　　whiff （一股）气味

　　psychological 心理的

　　smell 气味

　　cognition 认知

　　take (someone) back 唤起（某人的）记忆

　　perfumer 调香师，香水调配师

　　olfactory bulb 嗅球

　　odour （尤指难闻的）气味

　　flood back （回忆）涌现

　　unconscious 无意识的

　　low-level 低水平的，（此处指气味）淡薄的

　　pick up 捕捉

　　scent receptor 嗅觉感受器

　　neuron 神经元

　　hearing 听觉

　　vision 视觉

　　aroma 香气，芳香

　　essential oil 精油

　　sage 鼠尾草

　　peppermint 胡椒薄荷

　　rosemary 迷迭香

　　lavender 薰衣草

 

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