A smell can do more than remind us of something. It can take us back to a moment to relive its emotional intensity. Like Proust’s madelaine, a scent can set off an involuntary reaction that bypasses the rational brain, allowing us to feel without thinking.
In Singapore, a project is using smell as a kind of therapy: evoking memories in people who have forgotten the past, or become disengaged from the present. Developed by the JWT creative agency, the idea is to use "smell kits" to reanimate the memories of Alzheimer’s and dementia patients, taking them back to pleasanter times.
The kits include dozens of smells designed according to the ethnicity and age of the patient. They include food like chili or garlic and concoctions that evoke certain situations, like childhood bedtime (talcum powder, lavender, clean sheets), or "school days." The kits even include odors that no longer exist (but are resonant to people in their 60s or 70s), such as the stink of old Singaporean fishing villages (known as "kampungs") or fireworks that are now banned nationwide.
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