5 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Smells in Winter

Jan 18, 2018

The colder months hinder not just on the way scent travels through the air, but the way we perceive those smells, too. In the winter, the air is drier which inhibits the far travel of molecules to our noses. The colder it is, the fewer smells you can perceive.

As our bodies are stiffer in the cold, so are our noses. The receptors and vessels within them are constricted. This means fewer fragrant molecules can travel through them.

Winter food tends to be warm, which makes them easier to smell. Some people believe this is why we have such strong attachments to those winter comfort food smells, because they’re the few we are surrounded by. But also, because they are delicious and keep us warm, so we associate them with positive feelings. Pot roast or chicken noodle soup, anyone?

Environmental factors such as the weather, and the involvement of emotions, can actually distort what we smell and how we interpret it. Like how we love the smell of comfort food and associate it with what it does for us in the winter. Another example: someone who grew up in a big city may have positive emotions relating to the smell in their subway station, which always reeks a little stronger in the summer, reminding them of their childhood or of the independence they felt riding it alone for the first time. For those people, subway stench equals happy times!

Fragrant molecules are released more easily and in higher concentration in warmer environments. That's why when you use the Doctor Aromas System with your central AC in the heating mode, the fragrance feels stronger and disperses smoothly through your entire home; perfect to create a cozy ambiance. Remember hygge?