As we go about our daily lives, the olfactory receptors in our noses are constantly picking up air borne molecules of various shapes and sizes that are then interpreted as different smells. Most of the time we are relatively unaware of this whole process until a smell becomes strong enough for us to take notice and pay attention.We are able to detect literally thousands of different smells, which can either be perceived as neutral, pleasant or unpleasant. Interestingly, not all of us are able to detect the same smells. As each receptor in our nose is encoded by a different gene, if that gene missing in our DNA we would be unable to detect certain smells. For example, many people cannot detect the smell of camphor.Quite often when describing smells that are pleasant we will use words like scented or having an aroma, a fragrance or a perfume but when it is unpleasant we may describe it as having a stench, or something that smells or stinks. Although we all process smells in the same way physiologically, how we actually perceive a particular smell is very much linked to psychology and our emotional responses as well as our cultural […]

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