Can you smell your emotions? (LINK)
May 2nd 2008 08:03
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A portion of the brain that helps us respond to odors and process emotions may be malfunctioning in severely depressed individuals, say researchers who measured the brain activity of individuals presented with smells like roses and rotten butter.
Because odors and emotions are processed in similar brain structures, study of the olfactory system may increase our understanding of the physiological underpinnings of depression, according to the study.
Previous studies have attempted to pinpoint exactly what processes in depressed individuals' brains lead to their tendency to remember negative memories over positive ones, and to have a sense of hopelessness regarding the future. Some studies have measured brain responses to emotionally charged images or words, but these methods involve a certain amount of decoding, as individuals can respond to such images differently.
"The presentation of odors as emotional stimuli, by contrast, is powerfully direct, and odors seem to be powerful emotional stimuli," says study author Bettina M. Pause, Ph.D., of the Department of Psychology at Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel in Germany.
From: By Ann Quigley, Contributing Writer Health Behavior News Service Link at top for full article
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Everytime I smell my Grandmother's perfume I look around for her even though she has been dead for 22 years. Sometimes I even cry.... Especially with women. We have strong "smelling" memories!
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