Why do I love a smell that you don't?

Close your eyes and take a slow sniff. Imagine warm cinnamon buns coming out of the oven. Mmm, you smile and breathe in again. But the friend next to you wrinkles their nose and says yuck!

The same smell makes you happy, but your friend does not like it. So why do you love a smell that someone else does not? Let's find out together.

When you sniff, tiny bits of the smell float into your nose. Your nose sends a quick message to your brain. That message helps your brain tell cinnamon from soap or socks.

Your brain also keeps a memory, which means something it saves from before. It saves what happened the first time you smelled something. That way, your brain knows how you felt with that smell last time.

Picture yourself eating cinnamon buns at Grandma's table. She hugs you, and the kitchen feels warm and cosy. Your brain saves that happy memory together with the smell.

Now the cinnamon smell comes back to your nose. Your brain brings back the happy memory with it. That cosy feeling is why you love the smell.

Your friend met cinnamon on a different day, when their tummy hurt. Their brain saved a not-so-nice memory with that smell. What do you think happens when your friend smells cinnamon again?

Their brain brings back that achy tummy feeling. So your friend wrinkles their nose, even though you love that smell. Same smell, but a different memory!

Let's remember one word: memory. You love that smell because it brings back a happy memory, and your friend's is different.

Sleep tight, and may your dreams smell like your happiest memory.