Sensory Importance: The Nose

Covid and its side effects have sparked the conversation of what it means to temporarily lose your palate and scent, how does it affect a human being? As a scent company being able to smell is evidently our number one concern, that is why we are choosing to discuss the value of the nose. 

The importance of smelling

The part of the brain that smells and tastes is part of the emotional brain where our personality lies. It connects our emotional values to certain smells, creates an association between a smell and a situation, eventually leading to memory remembrance, like a certain dish will bring back a holiday memory. Not only does it affect our memory, but also reflects certain emotions, with effects like sniffling - often connected to sadness.

What is like not being able to smell?

Not being able to smell is often related to other threatening diseases, it can be an early sign of degenerative illnesses: Alzheimer’s or Parkinson. Furthermore, without smell food becomes tasteless and this results in people adding salt to improve the flavour. Adding salt can in itself be an issue for those with conditions such as blood pressure, kidney disease, diabetes or heart conditions

But in a less factual generalisation, can you imagine a world where grass has no smell? You can’t smell rain before it even falls? Where lemons have no freshness? For those of us so used to being able to use our noses for more than breathing, how can we revert to nothing? That is why certain studies show losing your sense of scent can lead to depression and anxiety, a loss of something so basic and familiar. 

Overall there is a sense of gratitude for being able to smell all your favourite things, it is like many other bodily functions overlooked and taken for granted. But a world without smell puts millions of jobs and countless industries at risk, crucial jobs like firefighters and doctors need it to be alert. So next time you open your next candle, think how nice it feels that you can actually get a whiff of it.