35 Folks Shared What Smells They Consider To Be The Scent Of Happiness

Christmas is just a few weeks away - and among the many essential things that make this holiday so magical for most of us, smells play a really important role. The smell of pine needles, holiday baking, roasting turkey, citrus fruits, newly wrapped presents, the scent of freshly fallen snow, after all…In fact, smells play an incredibly important role in our lives - even if we don’t realize it. But our sense of smell, when it senses a familiar aroma, immediately sends a signal to our brain. A signal that reminds us of the joy we once experienced. And in thisviral threadon AskReddit, netizens are recalling the various smells that they firmly associate with happiness.More info:RedditThis post may includeaffiliate links.

In fact, smells play an incredibly important role in our lives - even if we don’t realize it. But our sense of smell, when it senses a familiar aroma, immediately sends a signal to our brain. A signal that reminds us of the joy we once experienced. And in thisviral threadon AskReddit, netizens are recalling the various smells that they firmly associate with happiness.

More info:Reddit

This post may includeaffiliate links.

The smell of freshly rained earth.

Person splashing through a puddle in sneakers, evoking smell-happiness-reddit theme of joyful moments.

Freshly cleaned sheets, pillow cases, and blanket after a shower.

Two people holding a fresh white sheet outdoors under a blue sky, symbolizing smell-happiness from Reddit discussions.

My cats head.

Person embracing a Bengal cat, experiencing a moment of happiness.

The original thread appeared about two weeks ago and now has over 3.4K upvotes and around 5.6K numerous opinions, stories and debates, where, it would seem, literally every scent on Earth has found a place. And we,Bored Panda, are now happy to make a selection of the most interesting and fascinating answers from this thread for you.

Fresh mown lawn. It smells good and it will always give a nostalgic flashback to my childhoods warm summer days where family and friends just were hanging out in our garden and everything was perfect.Edit: English is not even my first language, that is really embarrassing for you guys, if i am better than you in writing it 😂.

Close-up of a vibrant, sunlit grassy field, evoking a sense of smell and happiness.

Wood smoke, or maybe my grandparents. I’ve lost my sense of smell and I don’t remember what things smell like anymore.

A campfire burning in the woods, evoking feelings of happiness and nostalgia discussed in Reddit threads.

Sunscreen and the ocean.

Woman enjoying beach, smiling with sunscreen heart on shoulder, illustrating happiness.

It’s quite interesting that the importance of smells for our perception of the world has always been emphasized inculture. For example, in one of theHarry Potterbooks, the heroes, among the aromas that a freshly brewed love potion exudes for them, clearly distinguish the smell of theircrushes’hair. By the way, it’s absolutely rightly noted - among the answers from our selection there are those where peoplereminisceabout, for example, how their spouse’s hair smells.

Vanilla.

Vanilla flower and pods on wooden surface, symbolizing happiness through smell.

Gardenias and honeysuckle.

Vibrant honeysuckle flowers in bloom, highlighting their colorful petals and green foliage, evoke a feeling of natural happiness.

Fresh laundry that just came out of a dryer.

Woman smelling fresh laundry in front of a washing machine, expressing happiness.

And perhaps the inevitably rolling day will later overwhelm you with a wave of troubles, thecatwill miss the litter box again, and coffee on an empty stomach will cause heartburn… All this will happen too, but for now, in this particular moment, you experience an incomparable feeling of happiness. Only you, only this moment - and let the whole world wait!

Sandalwood . . . 🥰.

Aromatherapy items like sage, incense sticks, and candles on a table, evoking the smell of happiness.

Redwood forest.

A car drives through a lush forest road surrounded by towering redwood trees, evoking a sense of happiness and tranquility.

Walking into my childhood home on a cold day while my mom is making meatballs 🥹.

Two women cooking together in a cozy kitchen, sharing a moment of smell happiness over a simmering pot.

Damn it, this is all poetry, but in fact, like literally everything in this world, the influence of smells on us has a clear logicalexplanation. And it’s all about the effect of so-called associative learning, where our brain clearly links this or that scent with an event happening in our life, with our individual perception and experience.“The linked event is then able to elicit a conditioned response for the original situation. In olfaction, the process can be understood as follows: a novel odor is experienced in the context of an unconditioned stimulus, such as a surgical procedure in a hospital, which elicits an unconditioned emotional response, such as anxiety,” Scientific AmericanquotesRachel S. Herz, an assistant professor of psychology at Brown University.“The odor then becomes a conditioned stimulus for that hospital experience and acquires the ability to elicit the conditioned response of anxiety when encountered in the future. This mechanism explains both how odors come to be liked or disliked, as well as how they can elicit emotions and moods.”

“The linked event is then able to elicit a conditioned response for the original situation. In olfaction, the process can be understood as follows: a novel odor is experienced in the context of an unconditioned stimulus, such as a surgical procedure in a hospital, which elicits an unconditioned emotional response, such as anxiety,” Scientific AmericanquotesRachel S. Herz, an assistant professor of psychology at Brown University.

“The odor then becomes a conditioned stimulus for that hospital experience and acquires the ability to elicit the conditioned response of anxiety when encountered in the future. This mechanism explains both how odors come to be liked or disliked, as well as how they can elicit emotions and moods.”

Mountain air.

Person standing on a mountain viewing platform, arms outstretched, embracing happiness amidst scenic clouds.