Brain CafÉ

Due to the current situation, the BRAIN CAFÉ lectures are only offered as digital podcasts.

07.12.2020

What use is a fine sense of smell to me?

Dr. Anika Pützer, Department of Cognitive Psychology, Fakulty of Psychology, Ruhr-Universität Bochum

If they had to lose one of their senses, which would it be? Many people would choose the sense of smell. It enables us to take in information from tiny molecules in the environment. These indicate which dangers we should avoid, but also whom we should approach. This is possible, among other things, because the processing of odours and emotions in the brain is very closely linked. This is noticeable when a smell evokes a particularly vivid memory – which can be very positive or extremely unpleasant. This lecture is dedicated to the influence of odours on our emotional experience, memory and behaviour. We will find out what the sense of smell enables us to do and what happens when it is no longer fully functional.

Podcast (in German):