Scientists have found why smells recall feelings of nostalgia and distant memories. The scientists say an area of the brain assigns memories to smells and stores them for decades. The area can recall the memories with great clarity years later if a person smells the odour again. Professor Christina Strauch said smells are stored in the olfactory brain. The word olfactory means anything related to our sense of smell. She said: "It is known that the piriform cortex is able to temporarily store olfactory memories. We wanted to know if that applies to long-term memories as well."
There are many smells that can take us back to our childhood. Smells from cookies in the oven or the perfume of an elderly aunt can bring back memories of growing up. Professor Strauch said some smells can take you away to another point in time. Some odours can make you wish you were back in the past, or make you want to escape. Some smells have a positive or a negative association. Smells can even encourage you to buy things in stores. Many stores spray fragrances in stores to evoke nostalgic memories. This can make people buy things they loved years ago.