Familiar scents may help depressed person A recent study published in JAMA Network Open points out that verbal cues are more likely to evoke memories than verbal cues.
For people with major depressive disorder (MDD), familiar smells can help recall autobiographical memories, potentially helping with symptoms such as: mental health According to a group of researchers and social workers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
According to Healthline, depression is associated with short-term memory problems.
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“The main takeaway from this study is that people with depression do have certain memories, positive memories, but they just have a harder time accessing them,” said co-author of the study. said Dr. Kimberly Young, associate professor of psychiatry and neuroscience researcher. University of Pittsburgh told Fox News Digital.
“By using smell, we can help them access these memories.”
Familiar scents may help people with depression better recall memories than verbal cues, according to a recent study. (St. Petersburg)
The research results show that familiar scents clinical site The report says it may help stop negative thought patterns and speed healing.
“Being able to access specific memories is important for problem solving and emotional regulation. If we can help people with depression access specific memories, they can use those memories when they need them and improve their quality of life.” “We should be able to do that,” Young said.
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in healthy personAccording to a university press release, scents can trigger memories that feel vivid and “real.” Perhaps this is because scent stimulates a part of the brain called the amygdala, which plays a role in memory and processing emotional responses.
“Memories accessed by familiar scents tend to be very vivid and are accompanied by a more intense sense of being ‘authentic’. This is due, at least in part, to the involvement of emotion through the amygdala. ,” says Dr. Christine Baccio, a licensed psychologist. An advertising professor at Le Moyne University in Syracuse, New York, told Fox News Digital.
Baccio was not involved in the study.
Researchers have found in a new study that memories stimulated by scents are more specific than those triggered by verbal stimuli. (St. Petersburg)
Anyone can use scent as a way to recall vivid, specific memories, Young told Fox News Digital.
“Sit while you smell, focus on the memory and relive it,” Young suggested.
“Practicing recalling these types of memories will make it easier to recall them when you need them in everyday life, such as problem-solving or emotional regulation.”
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For the study, the researchers looked at 32 people between the ages of 18 and 55 who had been diagnosed with MDD.
Participants were given 12 scent samples in opaque glass bottles. They were then asked to recall specific memories for each of 12 different words.
Each person rated their memory as positive or negative, and also rated their level of arousal and vividness. According to the study, participants also indicated whether they recalled the memory frequently up to that particular moment.
Using smell to evoke vivid, specific memories could theoretically be used by anyone to improve memory, researchers told FOX News Digital. (St. Petersburg)
Researchers found that memories triggered by smells were more specific than memories triggered by verbal stimuli.
Participants also tended to recall more positive memories and fewer negative memories, and these memories were more aroused when using odor cues compared to verbal cues. I rated it as being clear.
“This study just shows that smells are effective at evoking nonverbal memories,” Young said.
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Although the researchers did not measure or expect changes in symptoms of depression in this short study, Dr. Young found that improved memory recall may promote problem solving and emotional regulation, leading to depression. It was pointed out that this could be useful in reducing the
“We found that smell was a very effective cue for these patients, so this is a future direction for this research,” he told FOX News Digital.
Experts say improved memory recall can improve problem solving and emotional regulation, and may also improve depression. (St. Petersburg)
Baccio, a psychologist at Le Moyne University, said scent is a particularly powerful trigger for evoking autobiographical memories.
“Verbal content can also recall memories, but words function on a higher, more abstract level than sensory stimuli,” she told Fox News Digital. “Depression can trigger sad memories and trap a person in a counterproductive cycle of sadness.”
“By remembering your best times, you can break the cycle of depression and begin to return to more positive thoughts and feelings.”
Certain types of memory are likely to be more beneficial in reducing depression, experts said.
“Reliving your best days can help you break the cycle of depression and begin to return to more positive thoughts and emotions,” Baccio said.
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“Nostalgic memories have been shown to lift your mood, reduce anxiety, counteract feelings of loneliness, and strengthen your heart.” social connections“Scents associated with positive past experiences may be most effective in bringing back nostalgic memories,” she continued.
Experts say certain scents are often associated with people, places, or special occasions that bring joy.
“The scent of our mother’s favorite perfume, the scent of flowers in the garden we fell in love with, or the smell of holiday food can revive the positive emotions we once felt,” she says. said.
“People who suffer from depression may have difficulty remembering anything other than sad memories,” the psychologist told FOX News Digital. (St. Petersburg)
Dr. Nancy Fry, a professor of psychology at Long Island University in Brookville, New York, who was not involved in the study, commented on the significance of this finding.
“For people who suffer from depression, it can be difficult to remember anything other than sad memories,” she told FOX News Digital.
“The mood-congruent memory effect suggests that we are better able to remember things that match our current mood,” Fry says. “In other words, when you’re happy, you’re more likely to recall happy memories, and when you’re sad, you’re more likely to recall sad memories.”
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“This study points to a promising direction for helping patients with depression.”
Based on this initial work, the researchers aim to complete. bigger research In collaboration with a healthy control group, we further investigated the association between scent and memory in patients with depression.
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