When you think of the movie theater what scents do you equate it with? For me, the first thing that pops in my head is POPCORN! Did you know that businesses like the movie theater, use popcorn as a selling tactic? They figure, if the smell of popcorn is permeating through the air when you walk in, that will send a signal to your brain that you are hungry for popcorn. Smart, because that is EXACTLY what we humans do when it comes to desirable scents.
What happens when you inhale warm, buttery popcorn is that a group of cells is stimulated, and that group sends a combination of signals to the olfactory bulb—the site at the very front of the brain where smell perception takes place. This unique combination of signals tells the brain the odor is the smell of popcorn.
Smell is the sense most closely connected to our moods and recollections. Catching a whiff of the perfume your mother wears is likely to bring back stronger memories of her — and the feelings associated with her — than seeing her photo. That can happen before you are even conscious of the scent. That’s because an incoming odor proceeds directly to your limbic system, which handles memories and emotions; non-olfactory perception must go to the hypothalamus and then on to the cortex for further analysis (www.salon.com).
Don't you want to elicit strong, positive, emotions for your guests at your party? This week we will discuss how you can activate scent to trigger a good experience for your guests!
