Scent = Memory

What is it about certain smells that cause one to travel back to a particular place and time?   It is hypothesized that emotions, retrieval of memories, and olfaction all happen on the right side of the brain.  When we smell something that triggers a memory, that memory is usually emotionally charged in some way.  It makes us feel good or content, or angry or sad.  But we definitely feel something.

I've expressed before how the smell of Azurée Soleil reminded me of my mother, although it was not a scent I had ever smelled before, and certainly not anything she would have worn.  But the combination of elements evoked such Momness that it brought me to tears.  Such is the power of scent.

In the mid-80s, my family bought a larger house.  While packing a childhood's worth of crap in preparation for the big move, I discovered a large tube of orange-scented lip balm.  The smell transported me instantly to past summers and baseball.  At the time, I was a huge Orioles fan, and my brother and I saved newspaper clippings on their seasonal ups and downs.  That must have been the balm I used circa Summer of 1981.  In my mind's nose, I can still conjure up that scent, and the baseball memory clings to it.

Sometimes a smell is evocative of an unrelated time or event.  Earlier today, I plugged in my Airwick Amber and Wild Rose scented oil air freshener, and was immediately reminded of Sniffapalooza.  I had bought this particular scent to replace the vanilla oil that ran out earlier in the year and used it for a week or two around the Sniffa event.  I unplugged it in April and haven't used it since.  And today those terrific Sniffa memories came back to me.

What unusual scents trigger memories for you? Please share them in a comment!