Bad Smells Help Our Memory

Here is something to start your day off on the right foot. People remember things better when they're accompanied by a BAD SMELL

Researchers think it's because the bad smell triggers the TRAUMA centers in our brain . . . and when those are activated, we're sharper and our memories are stronger.

For instance...if you study for a test while sitting in garbage, you'll remember the information better than if you studied it while in different surroundings.

"These results demonstrate that bad smells are capable of producing memory enhancements in both adolescents and adults, pointing to new ways to study how we learn from and remember positive and negative experiences," senior author Catherine Hartley said in a university news release. Hartley is an assistant professor of psychology cognition and perception.

And it's not limited to just smell...

It's long been known that negative experiences have a significant impact on memory. For example, people who suffer a dog bite may develop a negative memory of the dog, which may expand into a negative association with all dogs, according to the researchers.

The trauma linked with the bite might also make that experience stronger in the memory than other interactions with dogs.

The study will be published in the July issue of the journal Learning and Memory.

(UPI)