SCENTS AND SENSIBILITY

The power of smell

This week I have been working with actors on using their senses of smell and taste to build confident pathways to character.

How does this work? Why does smell in particular have such a strong impact on how we feel?

Well, sensory cues trigger feelings and recollections. And neurologists tell us that of all our systems of perception, smell connects most directly with the memory and emotion centres of the brain.

Here's a TikTok about it — Davida, our youngest daughter, happened to be thinking about smell at the same time as I was.