Scientific American has an interesting article about research that, for the first time, shows a link between how our brains process scent and sound input.
Smound science
Research by Daniel Wesson and Donald Wilson at the Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research indicate the possible existence of a smell-sound sense (which they refer to as a “smound.”) They found that tubercle cells in mice brains respond differently to a combination of scent and sound than they do to either individually. This new research seems to align nicely with historical observations made in the mid-1800s by French perfumerist G. W. Septimus Piesse.
While the authors are thinking about pragmatic applications (like increasing the bomb-sniffing sensitivity of dogs) I can’t help but wonder what this could mean for the beauty industry. Just as restaurants recommend pairing certain wines with particular kinds of food, perhaps fragrance marketers will start recommending which songs to play while wearing a certain perfume?
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At first I was suprised by this finding, however, on second thought it shouldn’t be unexpected. It seems that everything is interrelated. Smell and test, smell/taste/feel/sight/sound evoke memories. Some people can see sounds as colors. It would seem to be simular to the Polaroid theory of color, the ordor you smell depends on the context. In one case you may smell it as the odor of A but in a different context the same odor is smelled as from B. – Just a thought.
It seems that everything is interrelated. Smell and test
I teach hearing impaired kids. I’d be curious to find out if MRIs of the human brain might be different for deaf people than hearing people when exposed to scents with their associated sounds (popcorn popping, a crackling wood fire, etc.).
What about someone like me who was in a car wreck at age 3 and has not been able to smell since? Yes I taste just fine!
so ….pic