75. Smells Evoke Emotions and Memories

75. Smells Evoke Emotions and Memories

1. When you smell a food your loved one used to cook when you were a child, this might put a smile on your face.

   • Companies use scents in their branding to evoke certain feelings and emotions.

2. Smells can evoke an emotional reaction.

   • The thalamus is the area of the brain between the cerebral cortex and the midbrain. Its main function is to relay motor and sensory signals to the cerebral cortex.
     • When you smell something, that sensory data heads directly to your amygdala, where emotional info is processed, which is why people react emotionally to smells.
   • example: when you smell something sweet, it can relax you and make you feel good, or when you smell something rotten, it can make you feel disgusted and nauseous.