Smell

Pleasant Fragrances and Unpleasant Odors

The sense of smell is a chemical sense that works through the detection of odor molecules present in the air. 


When we inhale, these molecules enter through the nostrils and reach the olfactory epithelium in the nasal cavity, where specialized sensory receptors detect them, generating electrical signals. 


These signals are transmitted to the olfactory bulb, located in the brain, which organizes the information and sends it to other brain areas responsible for processing the perception of smell.


I don’t have much to say yet about the phenomenology of smell in terms of its corporeality, but I will provide a brief description and some speculations about how I tend to perceive pleasant perfumes and unpleasant odors.

Description

Pleasant perfumes

When I smell a very pleasant scent, there is a tendency to try to intensify this sensation. 


This seems to occur through movements of the head and internal movements, especially in the throat, eyes, and nostrils. 


I usually try to take in more air, and to do this, I might try to open my nostrils more and inhale more slowly and deeply, and somehow, it feels like I’m trying to direct the air toward the upper part of my nasal cavities. 


This direction seems to happen through tilting my head backward, accompanied by a movement in my throat, upward. 


Often, to intensify this sensation of the perfume even more, my eyes also turn upward. 


Speculation

What is interesting about this attempt to increase the intensity of the olfactory experience by directing the air toward the upper part of my nasal cavities is the location involved. 


This area is where the olfactory epithelium is located — the region where the receptors for odor molecules are situated. 


It seems like an unconscious attempt to increase the concentration of these molecules in that specific area.


Thus, the perception I describe seems to make anatomical sense, suggesting a relationship between the subjective experience and the physical structure of the olfactory system.


Unpleasant odors

In the perception of unpleasant odors, the opposite occurs. I try to reduce the intensity of the sensation by decreasing the intake of air.


To do this, I may hold my breath, exhale more than inhale, or direct the air toward the lower part of my nasal cavities through internal movements in the throat area. 


This is often accompanied by wrinkling the area around the nose, as in a disgusted expression, turning the head away from the odor, tilting it downward, and/or placing my hand in front of my nose. 


In some cases, a sensation of nausea may also arise.

Conclusion

Thus, the sense of smell also involves bodily responses that shape our perception of odors. 


Movements of the head, throat, eyes, and nostrils reflect efforts to intensify or reduce the intensity of smells.


Check out these posts to understand the phenomenological approach used in providing these descriptions of experience: 1) What is Phenomenology; 2) Naturalization of Phenomenology; 3) Micro-Phenomenology; 4) Intersubjective Validation; 5) Embodied Cognition; 6) 4E


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