Pages

September 01, 2009

The Nose Knows

The sense of smell is as different as a signature kiss.

Most of us can smell something we are on top of, like lifting the lid of a pot on the stove and inhaling the aroma. Or driving along a highway and identifying the strong scent of a skunk. Or trapped inside a crowded subway next to someone who detests good hygiene.

My husband has the faculty to detect the lingering odor of a mouse fart. Not that he has ever smelled one, I am just making the case that he has the most amazing sense of smell of anyone I have ever known. I mean this as a complement. From outside in the detached garage he senses something cooking in the kitchen. From the bedroom he opens his eyes that follow in the wake of his nose and can describe what I am doing based on what he smells. I've been impressed with his sensitivity for smell as well as audio. I have allergies that may prevent me from reaching his level of perceiving odors. I like the house to have lingering cooking smells. It's homey and cozy.

I had already written this post when I found this article in Scientific American about a study to do with sense of smell.

"When the human nose sniffs, odors travel up the nostrils and into the brain. This happens separately on the left and right sides of an impervious wall in the nose called the nasal septum. So what happens when each nostril is exposed to a different scent? Does the brain interpret it as a mixture, or does it select between them?"

According to this article, The sense of smell is a "very youthful sense" and with deterioration in smell, taste is also lost. "[The sense of smell] affects quality of life."

I venture to state that if the study had participants with a nose like my hubby, the outcome of the study would have been different.

12 comments:

Unknown said...

Talking about scents, I just adore 'Sandalwood' from Bodyshop. It's rather masculine and I smell like a tree all day. lol

Love citrus perfumes too.

And yes, your husband talent is extraordinary indeed. Make him work in the wine-making business, as the bouquet expert!

Shadow said...

the sense of smell... linked to taste... i can well believe that. but it's linked to memories too, i have to say. the pictures that appear with that favourite of scent from days gone past...

Clippy Mat said...

i'm pretty sure my sense of smell has deteriorated a little as i've gotten older. sadly.
i know i'm missing out. but the thing is i don't know what i'm missing....
like yours, my husband's sense of smell is better. which is good in case the house is ever on fire i suppose.

Cindy said...

Interesting, my favorite smells are cedar chips, the smell after a rain, and the smell of fresh baked bread...oh I can smell it now...

Badass Geek said...

My sense of smell is very poor. But, considering the farting strength my wife has, I consider it a blessing.

Brian Miller said...

there are certain smells that bring back such wonderful memories...so i can believe it goes straight to the brain...

Margie said...

I sometimes bake lemon pies & I so love the smell of it baking as it takes me back to my mom's kitchen as she made the best lemon pies ever and they were made with love!
So I remember her when I bake my lemon pies!

Your husband indeed has a great sense of smell.

Most intresting & enjoyable post!

Margie:)

Mike said...

It is my sight that is my most acute sense. I had unheard of vision when I was a kid, I could read an open paperback book at 20 feet away!

Ronda Laveen said...

My sister can smell mouse farts too. On the other hand, I have allergies like you do and miss those fine scents.

Sometimes I think it a curse, others a blessing.

Casey Freeland said...

I'm like your husband. Reminded me of a poem I wrote for Les, oh, 13 years or so ago...

How much like Spring you are to me, my love
From the fresh, warm rain that falls from above
To the scent of sunshine on your sweet skin
Everything is new, about to begin

... sun on her skin is the best smell in the universe.

Berni said...

I don't have a good sense of smell my husband usually smells things before I do but I have a better sense of taste than he does. I have a terrific sense of hearing. I can hear the other side of a telephone conversation from about 20 feet away. I tell my husband it is because he has nothing between his ears!!

A Free Man said...

I don't know about a mouse fart, but I've got a pretty good sense of smell. Now, with two kids at home in diapers, I wish I didn't.