Friday, April 9, 2010

What sense triggers your brain to time travel?

Quick! You have five seconds to choose which sense you will lose. Sight, Sound, Smell, Touch, or Taste? I'll bet you give up smell first.

I was born without smell so it is hard to quantify what it is like to have it. My condition is called anosmia.

My mom figured out I couldn't smell when my little brother started making comments about food she was cooking. I was three years older and never made any comments about good or bad smells.

As an anosmic man it has been interesting to note how often people stick things under each others noses, or ask the question, "What's that smell?" My mom still forgets and does that to me, even after three decades of knowing my condition. I just stare at her and laugh with the object under my nose, until she pulls it away and apologizes. "Sorry, I forgot." She says. It is second nature for people to assume that everyone can smell.

After you tell me if you gave up sight, sound, smell, touch, or taste, tell me what memories you have associated with that sense. I'm talking about sense memories. The memories you experience when you hear a certain sound, or taste a certain food. People often walk into a room and say that the smell reminds them of another time and place. What sense triggers your brain to time travel?

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