It is one of our most important senses and is located in the part of our brain that affects emotion, memory and creativity. The sense of smell works around the clock and is the only sense that can never be “turned off”. It is the body’s first and most descriptive testing mechanism, instantly assessing whether an environment is good or bad.
In humans, the sense of smell affects 75% of daily emotions and plays an important role in memory.
Smell is an extremely convenient instrument for both persuasion and manipulation as it provides an interesting emotional transition.
It is possible to turn perceptions of a bad environment into positive, thanks to a scent that has a positive effect. This feature of the fragrance has made it indispensable for rituals and holy places of all religions. Muslim architects, by adding fragrant substances to the minaret mortar during the construction of the mosque, provided a pleasant-smelling environment around the mosque by following the wind, the scent emitted by the activation of scent molecules by the heat of the sun.
Planting all kinds of fragrant plants like mini botanical gardens around each mosque is an effective detail in terms of benefiting from the positive effect of the scent of Islamic architecture. In addition, it is seen that a special place is reserved for fragrances in Islam. In the Qur’an and in many hadiths, many fragrances, from saffron, oud, musk, camphor, are mentioned as adjectives.
Smell is also an excellent signaling tool as a means of communication in the living world. Living things, from plants to many other creatures, that communicate through scent, exist through the secret language of the universe.
Humans can distinguish more than 10,000 different odors thanks to the special olfactory receptor neurons lining the nose. There are thought to be hundreds of different olfactory receptors, each encoded by a different gene and each recognizing different odorants.
Each of the hundreds of receptors is encoded by a specific gene. If a gene is missing or damaged in your DNA, it may cause you to not be able to detect the scent associated with that gene. For example, some people can never take it for the smell of camphor.
Perception and interpretation of odors vary from person to person. Gender and age are the most important factors of this variability. In general, women have a better sense of smell than men, but as age progresses, especially after the age of 60, the sense of smell begins to weaken in both men and women.
In humans, the sense of smell affects 75% of daily emotions and plays an important role in memory. Humans can distinguish over 10,000 odor molecules from each other. These odor molecules enter the nose through inhalation and interact with the odor receptors. The olfactory receptors transmit this information to the olfactory center located in the limbic system of our brain. The limbic system is linked to the pituitary gland and hypothalamus area, which controls the secretion of hormones that affect appetite, nervous system, body temperature, stress level and concentration, as well as controlling memory and emotions in time. Since the olfactory system is located in the brain, the sense of smell is closely related to memory, mood, stress and concentration.
Emotions can be communicated with scent. There are also claims that odor affects mood, memory, emotions, mate selection, immune system and hormones. Academics and researchers are in agreement that, in its simplest definition, odor produces a mood that confirms desires and is therefore effective.
Smell and taste, which are two of the five senses that Aristotle defined, are called “chemical senses” and are sometimes considered as a single sense, not separate from each other. About 80% of the flavors we taste are actually shaped by our sense of smell. Without the sense of smell, we would perceive only five tastes: sweet, salty, sour, bitter and spicy. It is enough to leave the taste of a dish the same and only change its smell and play with its flavor. In fact, our sense of smell is stronger when we are hungry.
An odor is a chemical that is usually dissolved in the air in very low concentration and that we can detect with our sense of smell.
The perception of all odors is objective and depends on the cultural structure or emotional state of the person.
The human olfactory system changes over time and has difficulty identifying both bad and good odors when they are not very strong. This is called olfactory adaptation, and it usually takes an hour or so to adapt to a scent or fragrance. For example, people who work in an infused environment usually adapt to this essence and cannot distinguish its smell, while those who enter this environment from the outside can distinguish it immediately.
Studies show that perceptible fragrances validate consumer desires, increase workplace productivity, and help with health and medical conditions:
In a US casino trial, the test area After giving a pleasant smell, it was seen that there was a 48% increase in gambling revenues. As a result of the trial, it was concluded that the noticeable odor in the air increased the mood and desire without affecting the customer’s judgment and without fueling the excessive gambling desire. (1)
In a 1989 trial, customers spent more time visiting an infused jewelry store. (2)
Also in a US supermarket, the sales of the bakery aisle tripled after smelling freshly baked bread. (3)
It has been determined that giving the scent of lavender during breaks in a workplace prevents a decrease in work performance. (4)
Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s and Parkinson’s diseases and brain diseases such as schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder at a university in Australia are made using smells. (5)
In Japan, the effects of fragrances and essential oils on the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease are being studied. (6)
Research has also shown that constant exposure to a particular scent helps with weight loss. (7)
At the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, doctors use essences to relieve excitement during medical examinations.
Doctors at Duke University Medical Center use a variety of essences to relieve depression and mood swings in menopausal women. The use of essential oils to influence mood or behavior is called aromatherapy.
Loss of sense of smell is called anosmia. The absence of the sense of smell can lead to loss of appetite and libido, as well as depression resulting from memories of smell. Anosmia can sometimes be one of the early symptoms of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases because these two diseases are caused by the degeneration of the systems related to the Limbic System.
It is generally accepted that essential oils provide benefits in medicine and health.
100% pure essential oils are obtained from plant extracts. Therefore, they have the health and purifying properties of these plants.
Essential oils don’t simply mask bad odors, including cigarette smoke, they prevent it.
Essential oils, when inhaled as micro-mist dissolved in the air, strengthen the body’s immune system.
Scientific research confirms that essential oils fight and prevent airborne microbes such as bacteria, viruses and molds.
Many hospitals in England use pine oil mist to prevent the spread of infections.
A study conducted in 1955 showed that 21 different types of essential oils reduce or completely destroy various microbes that can cause health problems within 3 hours.
Essential oils have been used in the treatment of cough for many years.
Various essential oils are also used in widely used cleaning and antibacterial products.
