What Is An Olfactory Memory And How Does It Work?

Have you ever smelled something that immediately led you back to your childhood? Or bought a cake because it smelled like your grandmother baked? Both of these are examples of an olfactory memory, it is your olfactory memory that works. This is the most basic type of memory and it has a strong connection to your emotions. This is a connection that marketing experts know very well and use to sell the products to us.

It is important to clarify that your sense of smell is a chemical system. As such, it is responsible for detecting the chemicals that produce odors in your environment. This process is crucial for survival, because it helps you identify substances that can be dangerous, such as spoiled food.

The most effective sense

This is also one of the most effective senses because it is the one that is most directly connected to the brain structures that processes information. The body and the brain process smell like this:

• The olfactory molecules that float in the air enter the nostrils through the mucous membrane. Then they dissolve into molecules that can be captured by your olfactory system.
• Under the lining is a layer called the olfactory epithelium. This structure has neural receptors that specialize in identifying odors.
• These neurons send the information to the olfactory bulb, a structure in the brain that lies just behind the nose.
• The flask has sensory receptors that send messages to limbic system structures. This system in turn processes emotional information and helps consolidate memories. It also sends information to the dorsal cortex, which helps to change conscious thoughts.

The brain structures where the information ends up are the ones that help the olfactory memory to develop. It makes it possible to relate smells and memories, which helps the process of developing and recognizing different aspects of your daily life.

The limbic system and olfactory memory

We know that the limbic system is fundamental to consolidating information related to an olfactory memory. This system consists of structures such as the amygdala, thalamus and cingulate gyrus, among others. It is associated with involuntary or instinctive responses. The olfactory memory also helps to process emotional information and provides stimuli.

The amygdala plays a key role in emotional response because it is activated immediately in response to the sense of smell. It either assigns a feeling to an odor or triggers memories of an odor.

This system is one of the oldest in the brain, and it is responsible for your least rational actions. This means that the information that becomes part of your olfactory memory can stimulate certain decisions without first going through the reflection filter.

The cognitive processes involved in an olfactory memory

As we mentioned above, it is not easy to process what you perceive with the sense of smell through a rational filter. However, it has an impact on emotional and social aspects. Different processes in the brain help to consolidate olfactory information about memories. Some of them are:

• Perception. This is the process of capturing external odors to identify them and distinguish them from other odors. The result is a mental representation of the smell that also relates to the meaning.
• Sensory impressions. This is the subjective interpretation and representation of the smell. In most cases, we notice the smell as pleasant or unpleasant. The way you notice odors is closely linked to individual, social and cultural variables.
• Feeling. In the olfactory memory, emotions play a central role. As we saw earlier, aromatic information is primarily processed by your emotional brain. Therefore, it tends to be the most relevant aspect of this type of memory. It is much easier to evoke a feeling with the olfactory memory than with other types of memory.

• Association. Emotions usually play a major role here, but conscious thoughts also emerge. As a result, specific elements and situations are associated with certain odors. Over time, you can voluntarily evoke these memories.
• Storage. This is related to memories you store for a long time. Most of the odor information falls into this category. Context and individual features also influence this process.

Olfactory memory and marketing

This is one of the new approaches in the marketing world. Businesses use odor and olfactory memory to advertise and sell certain products. The goal is to evoke certain emotions that motivate consumption.

For that purpose, this type of marketing uses what influences your purchasing choices the most. To do this, they develop an olfactory logo or a “fragrance brand”. With a fragrance label, a company can attach the memory of a particular logo to your mind.

It is important for the fragrance label to evoke emotions, values ​​and memories. In the same way, it must be sufficiently recognizable and different enough from other types of odors, especially from the competitor. The better the fragrance label evokes positive memories, the better it works.

Finally, olfactory memory plays an important role in your life due to the direct communication with your decision center. Large companies are very aware of this connection, and therefore they will not hesitate to use it to trigger your primary instincts and overpower your rational brain.