Smells as a trigger for memory

Posted by noelbynature under Food, Reflections
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Do you know that the sense of smell can be a powerful trigger for childhood memories? The olfactory system is closely related to the parts of the brain that control memory and emotions and the brain links new smells to anchors such as a person, place or even a point in time. It’s no surprise then, that since most of our smell-memory is made during our younger periods, smells have a great potential in instantly invoking the past for us.

For Jerome, two smells trigger memories of his old neighbourhood Toa Payoh: the smell of freshly-baked bread and coffee roasting in a drum:

Another aroma that I would grow accustomed to inhaling in Toa Payoh was the smell of freshly baked bread. That would come from the bakery at the corner of Block 47 off Lorong 6. I loved the aroma so much that I often made it a point to ask my grandmother to take me past the bakery on her evening walks, where we would be greeted not just by the aroma of freshly baked bread being taken out from the old style ovens, but also by the sight of loafs of bread being left to cool on racks and a busy baker slicing off the crust of loaves of bread on the large work table, slicing the spongy soft white bread and packing them into plastic bags ready for sale.

Check out Jerome’s post here. What kind of smells trigger memories from you?

Happy National Day from all of us at yesterday.sg! Don’t forget to enjoy free entry at the NHB museums today!

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