In a recent survey, the majority of respondents expressed a willingness to give up their sense of smell among the traditional five senses. However, this article highlights the importance of the sense of smell in processing flavor. Smell works by detecting tiny smell molecules in the air, which stimulate olfactory sensory neurons in the nose. These neurons contain odor receptors that send information to the brain, categorizing it as a particular odor and associating it with feelings and emotions. For example, the brain may associate the smell of bacon with pleasure because it is linked to the taste of salt and fat. This positive association influences our perception of the smell in the future.
VOCABULARY:
• Smell : The sense that allows you to detect odors.
• Sense : One of the five abilities (sight, hearing, taste, touch, smell) that your body uses to get information about the world.
• Survey : A set of questions that you ask a large number of people in order to collect information.
• Flavor : The particular taste of a food or drink.
• Olfactory : Related to the sense of smell.
• Neuron : A type of cell that carries messages between the brain and other parts of the body.
• Odor : A particular smell, especially a bad one.
• Receptor : A part of your body that receives and reacts to something, especially a nerve ending in your skin.
• Brain : The organ inside your head that controls your body's activities and enables you to think and feel things.
• Pleasure : A feeling of happiness, enjoyment, or satisfaction.