Overview

""The Forgotten Sense leaves us with the hope of new discoveries and new recoveries--so that we may once again revel in the glorious, fragrant world around us.""--Wall Street Journal By one of the world's leading researchers into the science of smell, a fascinating exploration of our most essential yet least understood sense--enabling us to appreciate food and drink, warning us of dangers, and even influencing who we fall in love with Our sense of smell guides our lives far more than our screen-heavy, sight-privileged era would suggest. It animates our experience of food and drink, helps us access memories, and strengthens our intimacy with each other. But, long considered our most ""beastly"" sense, the inner workings of smell have stumped scientists for centuries. Now, cognitive scientist and leading smell researcher Jonas Olofsson uncovers the sophisticated processes that drive our olfactory system, with profound implications for how we perceive the world around us. Drawing from cutting-edge original research, Olofsson shows that not only is our sense of smell extraordinarily sensitive, its process of chemical exchange shaped human evolution on its most fundamental level. From the pheromones, environmental signals, and emotions we process with each breath, olfaction makes us the individuals we are. Moreover, smelling is an intellectual exercise, Olofsson argues, one that we have the remarkable capacity to strengthen and, with some effort, even regain after illness. With infectious curiosity and a host of applications--from emotional health and gastronomy to literature and even politics--The Forgotten Sense is a wide-ranging and entertaining look at this most understudied function of human life.

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9780063394674

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""Humans are highly visual, suggesting that, compared to other mammals, our olfactory system has atrophied. Instead, what has atrophied is our appreciation of and knowledge about olfaction. Highly readable and scientifically impeccable, The Forgotten Sense takes on topics ranging from whether human pheromones exist to links between olfactory disgust and political views to what is revealed about someone's health by both how good they smell and how well they smell. I thoroughly enjoyed this book."" -- Robert M. Sapolsky, New York Times bestselling author of Determined ""I love this book. It reawakened my sense of smell more than any zesty body wash or freshly brewed cup of coffee. The Forgotten Sense brilliantly explores the science that underpins our sense of smell."" -- Mark Miodownik, New York Times bestselling author of Stuff Matters ""With intelligence and wit, a researcher raises our sensitivity to smell."" -- Kirkus Reviews

""Humans are highly visual, suggesting that, compared to other mammals, our olfactory system has atrophied. Instead, what has atrophied is our appreciation of and knowledge about olfaction. Highly readable and scientifically impeccable, The Forgotten Sense takes on topics ranging from whether human pheromones exist, links between olfactory disgust and political views, and what is revealed about someone's health by both how good they smell and how well they smell. I thoroughly enjoyed this book."" -- Robert M. Sapolsky, New York Times bestselling author of Determined ""I love this book. It reawakened my sense of smell more than any zesty body wash or freshly brewed cup of coffee. The Forgotten Sense brilliantly explores the science that underpins our sense of smell."" -- Mark Miodownik, New York Times bestselling author of Stuff Matters

Author Information

Jonas Olofsson is a professor of psychology at Stockholm University, where he directs the Sensory Cognitive Interaction Lab. He has conducted research at the New York University School of Medicine, Northwestern University, the Scripps Research Institute, and the Karolinska Institute. He lives in Stockholm.

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