Speaking of psychology is taking a short winter break, so we're revisiting one of our favorite episodes from the past year.

In March, we talked to Pamela Dalton from the Monel Chemical Sciences Center about how scientists are gaining a deeper understanding of human's sophisticated sense of smell,

and learning more about how intertwined it is with our memories,

emotions, and mental and physical health. We also talked about how the COVID-19 pandemic

has added new urgency to this research. I hope you enjoy this episode from our archives.

Speaking of psychology, we'll be back in January with new weekly episodes. Thank you for

listening. Smell has been called our most underappreciated sense. When people think about it,

if they think about it at all, many consider it an evolutionary relic, something that is important

for animals but not for us humans.

We tend to think we aren't even that good at detecting smells, certainly not as good as our dogs,

for instance.

About 10 years ago, a national poll found that more than half of young people said they'd

be willing to give up their sense of smell before they'd give up their laptop or cell phone.

But in recent years, scientists have begun to learn more about this overlooked sense

and how to gain a new understanding of how sophisticated human sense of smell really is

and how it is intertwined with our mental and physical health.

Now the COVID-19 pandemic is giving this research new urgency

because one common side effect of the virus, even among

people with otherwise mild cases, is the loss of smell or changes in the sense of smell.

Some people recover their sense quickly, but for others, the changes seem to be long-lasting

or perhaps even permanent.

Why is this happening?

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