scent

by Alice Mulford

Several weeks ago in class, we were breaking down the uses of our senses, and the class overwhelmingly discounted our sense of smell. Smell was in no way given enough credit. It has amazing amounts of control over our lives.

To begin with, even the faintest of scents has to power to bring back memories, just pull them out of our heads from years and years ago, things we’ve completely forgotten. I remember having a Spanish teacher in high school who actually encouraged us to eat in class and while we studied, because it would help us remember things on our tests.

We can tell who someone is by their unique smell. Just the other day, my sister was looking at me suspiciously because I apparently smelled different.

And if we don’t like the way a person smells, we can’t be with them. This isn’t limited by people who merely “smell bad.” Everyone prefers different scents, and if we don’t “click” with the way a certain person smells, we just can’t be with them. Sure, we can be friends with them, but we can’t be with them romantically. Interestingly, if I have a falling out with a boy, I am immediately distrustful of any boy I meet after him who smells similar.

Scent arouses us, in more than one way. For instance, if we’re hungry, the smell of anything remotely foody makes our mouths water. And of course, certain scents arouse us sexually.

Scents affect our ability to be in a place for too long. Overpowering smells, both good and bad, can force us to leave a place. Once, my Methodist family was visiting a Greek Orthodox Church for a Christmas Eve service. After about an hour, one of the religious leaders busted out this brick of lit incense and began swinging it around, walking back and forth, up and down the aisle. We couldn’t take it. Half of my family began to fall asleep, and the other half of us lost the ability to breathe. We had to go.

Smells keep us from eating or drinking things. They can warn us of danger – the smell of smoke, for instance, can let us know if there is a fire.

Oh, we definitely weren’t fair to scent as a class.