How ‘smell training’ can rejuvenate your brain and fight off depression

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When our noses lose their sharpness, our mental health often suffers too.

Your grandma’s brownies, the scent of rain on a pine forest, a whiff of cardamom — smells can be powerful time machines, unlocking memories almost like magic and transporting you to specific moments more vividly than vision or hearing.. A diminished sense of smell is associated with worsening memory, cognition and overall well-being — as well as dementia and depression.

So, does that mean training the nose can help the mind? Some research suggests that it actually might. In one 2022 study, seniors with depression trained their noses for several months and saw their symptoms diminish, especially those who had previous smelling problems. Experts think one reason this happens is that the areas of the brain involved in smell are uniquely connected to parts involved in cognition, such as the prefrontal cortex.

To take the test, pour four strong-smelling products into separate cups. Ask someone to blindfold you and offer you the cups to sniff. Give yourself one point if you can smell something and two if you can identify it.

 

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