Recalling Memories by Scent Could Help People Battle Depression

Smelling a familiar scent can help someone who is depressed recall repressed memories, giving them a better chance to recover. The observation comes from a new small, cross-sectional study published in JAMA Network Open by University of Pittsburgh School researchers and social workers. The study showed that scents are more effective than words at triggering a person’s memory of a specific event. It also revealed that scents could be used in clinical settings like therapy as a way to help people with major depressive disorder work through negative thought cycles and rewire their thought patterns, aiding in faster and smoother healing....