The perfume of someone passing on the street reminded you of a person you once loved.
The scent of a shampoo you hadn’t smelled in years brought back memories of your school days.
The smell after the rain suddenly reminded you of a scene from your childhood.
Have you ever had an experience like that?
What’s remarkable is that it isn’t just a feeling of nostalgia; sometimes the place, the people and even the emotions of that moment come back in an instant.
In fact, the way our brains work is deeply involved in the link between “scent” and “memory.”
Scent Is Closely Tied to the Brain’s “Memory” and “Emotion”
When we smell something, olfactory receptors deep inside the nose detect odor molecules, and that information is sent to a part of the brain called the olfactory bulb.
The olfactory system is closely connected to brain regions that include the hippocampus, which is important for memory, and the amygdala, which is involved in processing emotions.
So a scent doesn’t just let us
“this is the scent of lavender”
recognize what kind of smell it is;
“where was I when I smelled this scent?”
“who was I with?”
“how was I feeling at the time?”
it can also become linked to memories and emotions like these.
That’s why an event you had forgotten for years can suddenly come back, triggered by a single scent.
Is There a Name for “Remembering the Past Through Scent”?
This phenomenon is commonly known as the “Proust effect.”
The name comes from the novel In Search of Lost Time by the French writer Marcel Proust.
In the novel, there is a scene in which tasting a madeleine dipped in tea brings the narrator’s childhood memories vividly back to life.
Strictly speaking, it is a sensory experience that includes not just taste but also smell, but thanks to this famous passage, the phenomenon of past memories suddenly resurfacing through smells and similar cues came to be called the “Proust effect.”
What’s interesting is that
“Let me try to remember the past”
is not what you’re doing; you aren’t consciously searching for the memory.
You’re walking down the street, and a scent drifts by.
In that moment,
“Oh, this smell…”
and a memory you never expected suddenly appears.
Are Memories Brought Back by Scent a Little Special?
Many studies have been done on the sense of smell and autobiographical memory.
For example, compared with memories cued by words and similar prompts, autobiographical memories triggered by smells have been reported to feel more emotional and to tend to come from earlier periods of life.
This may be one reason scent can feel like a “memory time machine.”
A perfume you used to wear.
The smell of your grandparents’ house.
Your school classroom.
A summer festival.
A hotel you stayed at on a trip.
When you encounter scents like these after a long time, not only the events themselves but also the feelings you had back then can come flooding back.
It’s a slightly different feeling from looking at a photo and thinking, “This was so many years ago,” isn’t it?
Why Does the Same Scent Feel Different to Different People?
Another interesting point is that not everyone feels the same way when they smell the same scent.
While one person may find a certain scent “calming,” another may not care for it much.
One possible reason is the way the scent is tied to each person’s own experiences and memories.
For example, someone who smelled a certain scent again and again during a fun trip may find that it brings back pleasant memories.
On the other hand, if the same scent is tied to an unpleasant experience, the way it feels may change.
In other words, your impression of a scent depends not only on the scent itself but also on “what kind of time you have spent with that scent.”
That’s why scent preferences vary so much from person to person.
We Hope “the Scent of La HEAD” Becomes a Pleasant Memory
La HEAD’s SIGNATURE COURSE also incorporates natural aromatherapy scents.
While enjoying the scent with your eyes closed, we slowly care for not only your head but also your neck, shoulders and arms.
In a calm, fully private room, we value the time you spend away from work, your smartphone and the information of everyday life.
Of course, smelling a particular scent doesn’t mean everyone will relax in the same way.
Everyone has their own preferences in scent, and the way a scent feels differs depending on past experiences.
That’s exactly what makes it so interesting: “the scent and the time spent in that place become linked.”
Someday, the scent you enjoyed today may drift by in a completely different place.
“This scent… I know it from somewhere.”
And you remember the time you spent at La HEAD, relaxing with your eyes closed.
We would be delighted if, in this way, the scent of La HEAD became one of your pleasant memories.
The “smells” we notice so casually every day
actually hide a fascinating mechanism of the brain that connects past memories with your present self in an instant.
We look forward to welcoming you.