{"id":8112,"date":"2023-10-13T00:21:46","date_gmt":"2023-10-12T17:21:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=8112"},"modified":"2023-10-13T00:21:46","modified_gmt":"2023-10-12T17:21:46","slug":"why-cant-i-smell-my-perfume-experts-explain-wellgood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=8112","title":{"rendered":"Why Can&#8217;t I Smell My Perfume? Experts Explain| Well+Good"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"drop-cap text-big text-gray\"> <span class=\"drop-cap__first text-dropcap \">A<\/span>lthough finding your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/signature-scent\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/signature-scent\/\">signature scent<\/a> can take months (if not years), there&#8217;s a certain satisfaction that comes once you land on a fragrance that perfectly embodies\u00a0<em>you.\u00a0<\/em>Friends and colleagues recognize it as your trademark, strangers in the elevator inquire about the brand, and you can rest easy knowing that you always smell superb. But then, one day you wake up and spritz on your go-to juice only to realize&#8230; it doesn&#8217;t smell like anything at all anymore. Has the bottle gone bad? Is your nose feeling particularly uncooperative? Nope. Your newly discovered nose blindness is likely due to a finicky process known as\u00a0<em>olfactory adaptation.<\/em><\/div>\n<h2>What\u2019s the deal with olfactory adaptation?<\/h2>\n<p>Your nose and brain are connected through a complex system of olfactory receptors and chemical reactions, which explains why scent has the power to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/scent-memory-fragrances\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/scent-memory-fragrances\/\">trigger memories<\/a> and other <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/27447673\/#:~:text=A%20review%20of%20the%20literature,including%20systemic%20markers%20of%20inflammation.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/27447673\/#:~:text=A%20review%20of%20the%20literature,including%20systemic%20markers%20of%20inflammation.\">psychological and physiological reactions<\/a>. But, &#8220;there are still studies going on to fully understand that connection,&#8221; says Linda Song, a leading perfumer at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.givaudan.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.givaudan.com\/\">Givaudan<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>What we do know, though, is that this link is much stronger than the one between your brain and your other senses. And when your nose is overexposed to a certain scent, &#8220;There is a long-term period of recovery with smell that doesn&#8217;t seem to happen with hearing or vision,&#8221; says <a href=\"https:\/\/monell.org\/pamela-dalton\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/monell.org\/pamela-dalton\/\">Pamela Dalton, PhD, MPH<\/a>, a cognitive psychologist at <a href=\"https:\/\/monell.org\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/monell.org\/\">The Monell Center<\/a>, a non-profit institute that researches taste and smell.<\/p>\n<div class=\"related-content \" style=\"\" data-module-init=\"related-content\" data-module-immediate=\"\" v-cloak=\"\">\n<div class=\"related-content__wrapper \" v-cloak=\"\" :class=\"{'is-loaded':isLoaded}\">\n<p> <span class=\"inline pr-6 text-seafoam-dark\">Related Stories<\/span> <\/p>\n<p> <related-content class=\"related-content__links\" parent-article-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/why-cant-i-smell-my-perfume\/\" current-title=\"Can\u2019t Smell Your Favorite Perfume Anymore? \u2018Olfactory Adaptation\u2019 Is to Blame\" current-image=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/GettyImages-1550413996-425x285_418x278_true_70.webp\" v-on:parsely-posts-loaded=\"onPostsLoaded\" start-date=\"2023-04-12\" tag=\"div\" inline-template=\"\" url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/why-cant-i-smell-my-perfume\/\" secret=\"w5ztterVB03LGZJLfXS0hf3EvQBuFFIWew9hmVQxthU\" apikey=\"wellandgood.com\" limit=\"3\"> <\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"related-content__card mb-[10px] sm:mb-[20px]\" :class=\"{'related-content__card--full':posts.length === 1}\" v-for=\"(post, key) in posts\"> <a v-on:click.prevent=\"trackLinkGA($event, key)\" :href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/why-cant-i-smell-my-perfume\/post.url\" data-url-source=\"related-content\" class=\"related-content__link\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"\"> <\/p>\n<div class=\"related-content__card--image bg-tan\" :style=\"{ backgroundImage: 'url(' + post.image_url + ')' }\"> <img :src=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/why-cant-i-smell-my-perfume\/post.image_url\" :alt=\"post.title\"\/> <\/div>\n<p> <\/a>  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <\/related-content> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>For proof of this concept, she points to an experiment during which people were exposed to a scent while they were sleeping for two weeks. After the smell was removed, it took another two weeks for participants to become as sensitive to it as they were at the start of the process. So if you&#8217;re frequently smelling a particular scent\u2014your perfume, your apartment&#8217;s perma-smell, your cat&#8217;s litter box\u2014you can eventually develop olfactory adaptation to it.<\/p>\n<h2>What\u2019s going on inside my head?<\/h2>\n<p>Scent molecules may enter through your nose, but the way you perceive them is a far more complicated process.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is a chemical response when those single organic molecules are isolated in the nose and received on those olfactory receptors,\u201d says Song. \u201cThat chemical response then triggers an electrical response to our brain, which goes to the prefrontal cortex.\u201d It\u2019s no accident that this area is also associated with memories and emotions, which is why certain scents can trigger such a powerful response.<\/p>\n<p>However, Dalton explains that the olfactory system is designed to detect changes. \u201cSo if you\u2019re using a scent all the time, not only are your receptors going to be less sensitive, but your brain is going to say \u2018I don\u2019t need to pay attention to this anymore,&#8221; she says.<\/p>\n<p>In other words, if a scent is constantly wafting in the background\u2014whether it&#8217;s a personal fragrance on your body or something in the room around you\u2014your brain will essentially become so accustomed to it that it won&#8217;t register anymore.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, just as we&#8217;re all accustomed to the idea of worsening vision and hearing as we get older, our senses of smell are also susceptible to age-related changes. \u201cYou have optimal scent sensitivity in your teens and twenties,&#8221; says Dalton. &#8220;There are changes that occur after that, but you don&#8217;t really start to see a drop off until you get to post-50. You can\u2019t change that [since] it\u2019s a biological process.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, certain lifestyle choices like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC5783692\/#:~:text=The%20exposure%20of%20the%20olfactory,buds%20caused%20by%20tobacco%20consumption.\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC5783692\/#:~:text=The%20exposure%20of%20the%20olfactory,buds%20caused%20by%20tobacco%20consumption.\">smoking<\/a> can decrease your sensitivity to odors (yet another reason to kick the habit) and prolonged diseases, such as chronic sinusitis, can potentially impact your sense of smell. Both Song and Dalton explain that although there is suspicion that living in heavily polluted areas might cause olfactory issues, there is currently a lack of research on how this might happen or how to correct it.<\/p>\n<p>With that in mind, there&#8217;s a case to be made for regularly \u201cexercising\u201d your sense of smell to combat both this inevitable olfactory decline and your body\u2019s adaptation to certain scents.<\/p>\n<h2>Training your sense of smell<\/h2>\n<p>Both Song and Dalton reveal that people in professions that require an astute nose, like a chef or perfumer, are capable of retaining their senses of smell well into their 70s and 80s.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is very much like detailed patterning,&#8221; says Song. &#8220;Because of the electrical transmission to the brain, we&#8217;re creating more detailed patterns of how we&#8217;re perceiving these scents. So, the more you know and experience different smells, the more that you&#8217;re able to detail exactly what a scent is.\u201d She explains that this contextuality explains why perfumers can detect a difference between specific raw materials, like a rose absolute versus a rose essential oil, while the average consumer cannot.<\/p>\n<p>Even if you don&#8217;t aspire to have a scent-adjacent career, though, Song recommends becoming more active in the way you interact with scent to stave off olfactory adaptation and decline. \u201cScent is the most primitive form of our senses, and you\u2019re always able to perceive smell, even if you don\u2019t necessarily want to,\u201d she says. \u201cBut if you\u2019re actively thinking about it, then you\u2019re creating a connection between what you\u2019re smelling and then remembering it for next time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Since scent involves actual physical molecules (as opposed to light or sound waves), Dalton explains that it\u2019s important to remove the actual molecules from your receptors in order to become sensitive to them again\u2014and there are a few different ways you can do this.<\/p>\n<p>The first, Dalton says, is getting your blood flowing. \u201cSome of the molecules will partition into the blood via little capillaries in the nose, so increasing blood flow can flush them out,&#8221; she explains, adding that she knows some perfumers who will run up and down a flight of stairs during their workday to keep their noses clear. This method is particularly helpful\u00a0with musk, amber, and woody scents, which Song says are more prone to olfactory adaptation (possibly due to their larger molecule size, but the research is still lacking to confirm this hypothesis).<\/p>\n<p>The other way you can clear your scent molecules is simply by exhaling them out or swallowing the mucus that moves through the olfactory region (which is gross, but effective). So, if you think your fragrance is fading, try spritzing it on after an intense workout\u2014the elevated heart rate and heavy breathing that come with a sweat sesh will clear your olfactory receptors so you can smell it more clearly.<\/p>\n<p>Most importantly, remember that while you might not think your favorite fragrance smells like anything anymore, or it\u2019s not as strong as you remember, that\u2019s likely not true for the people in close proximity to you. As Dalong cautions, \u201cRecognize that, yes, a fragrance will diminish over time, but it&#8217;s not going to diminish for everyone else as fast as it&#8217;s going to weaken for you.\u201d So if you ever feel the urge to bathe in your go-to perfume, exercise caution for the sake of your friends\u2019 and neighbors\u2019 noses and trust that you do still smell really, <em>really <\/em>good.<\/p>\n<div class=\"block-thin post-citations mt-[40px] mb-[30px]\" data-module-init=\"main-2020\/post-citations\" data-module-immediate=\"true\">\n<hr class=\"!border-seafoam-dark mb-[24px]\"\/>\n<div class=\"post-citations-content flex flex-col gap-[24px]\">\n<p>Well+Good articles reference scientific, reliable, recent, robust studies to back up the information we share. You can trust us along your wellness journey.<\/p>\n<div>\n<ol class=\"!ml-[18px] !mt-0\">\n<li>\n              Herz RS. The Role of Odor-Evoked Memory in Psychological and Physiological Health. Brain Sci. 2016 Jul 19;6(3):22. doi: 10.3390\/brainsci6030022. PMID: 27447673; PMCID: PMC5039451.            <\/li>\n<\/ol><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<hr class=\"!border-seafoam-dark mt-[24px]\"\/>\n  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1675549\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Although finding your signature scent can take months (if not years), there&#8217;s a certain satisfaction that comes once you land on a fragrance that perfectly embodies\u00a0you.\u00a0Friends and colleagues recognize it as your trademark, strangers in the elevator inquire about the brand, and you can rest easy knowing that you always smell superb. But then, one &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":8113,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8112","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8112"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8112\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8113"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}