I\'ve recently learned that scents can trigger memory recall in humans, and am t

ID: 36893 • Letter: I

Question

I've recently learned that scents can trigger memory recall in humans, and am thinking about setting up an experiment where I would attempt to induce memory recall through exposure to scents.

In order to help reduce the amount of experimentation required to actually trigger recall, I'm interested in - What kinds or qualities of scents have been demonstrated to trigger memory recall in humans? Are they pleasant smells/unpleasant, sharp or subtle?

Is there any information about how long of an exposure is needed to trigger such recall? Is it 2 seconds, 15 seconds, an hour?

Explanation / Answer

Originally I wanted to try this experiment during sleep, however, the K&R "Principles and practice of sleep medicine" 4th edition, on page 16, under "Olfactory system" mentions that both pleasant (peppermint) and unpleasant (pyridine) smells were poorly recognized during sleep:

It suggests that one conclusion would be that olfactory system of humans is not a good sentinel during sleep.

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I\'ve recently learned that scents can trigger memory recall in humans, and am t

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