Smell Your Way to Joy: The Science Behind How Plants and Aromatherapy Enhance Memory and Emotion

Growing Joy with Plants - Wellness Rooted in Nature, Houseplants, Gardening and Plant Care

Maria Failla- Happy Plant Lady and Author of Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness

Education, How To, Health & Fitness, Mental Health, Home & Garden, Leisure

4.8 • 883 Ratings

🗓️ 20 May 2025

⏱️ 44 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Did you know the scent of plants can do more than just make your garden smell good? It can actually improve your mood, your memory, and your overall health. I’ve always thought of plant scents as just a lovely bonus in the garden, but I didn’t know there’s some wild science behind how smell connects to our emotions and even our brains. And to help me with that is Dr. Rachel Herz, a neuroscientist and expert on the psychology of scent. She explains how the smells from our plants can shape how we feel, what we remember, and how we heal.

In this episode, we learn:

[03:06] How did Dr. Herz start her career in the science of scents?
[06:18] Why smell is tied to memories and emotions
[09:01] Aromatherapy and emotional associations
[10:28] Ingesting rosemary vs. smelling rosemary
[12:27] Why do people like or dislike different smells?
[14:30] How does the human olfactory system detect and process scents?
[15:32] Wind River Chimes
[17:20] Coolibar
[21:43] What’s the role of the olfactory bulbs?
[22:36] Why is the nose a significant entry point for substances entering the body?
[25:12] Why do people often think smell is the least important sense?
[27:25] Losing sight vs smell
[30:20] Gardeners Supply Company’s
[32:48] The perception of a smell as "good" or "bad"
[35:08] Can our sense of smell be cultivated?
[36:30] Where can you find Dr. Herz and her works online?

Mentioned in our conversation:

Ready to explore the healing wonders of natural fragrances?

Check out the full show notes and blog here!

Follow Dr Rachel:

Website

Academic Work

Consulting

Thank you to our episode sponsors:

Wind River Chimes

Visit windriverchimes.com and use code GROWINGJOY to receive free engraving on your chosen wind chimes.

Coolibar

Protect your skin with Coolibar and save 25% off your order at coolibar.com with code GROWINGJOY25.

Gardener's Supply

Discover your garden favorites and exclusive innovations at gardeners.com and use code GROWINGJOY for free shipping.

Follow Maria and Growing Joy:

Order my book: Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness (and Plants) by Maria Failla, Illustrated by Samantha Leung

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Did you know the scent of plants can do more than just make your gardens smell good, but it can
0:04.0	actually improve your memory, boost your mood, and enhance your overall wellness. It's fascinating.
0:09.8	And in today's episode, we're going to dive in with a neuroscientist to learn about the fascinating
0:14.8	science between how the natural fragrances in plants and in our gardens can influence our emotions
0:20.6	and cognitive healing. Whether you're
0:22.5	looking to feel more energized in the garden this summer or maybe calm your mind after a busy day,
0:26.9	this conversation will show you how you can smell your way to your most joyful gardening season yet.
0:32.4	So stick around. Your garden is about to become your wellness sanctuary plant friend.
0:43.2	Yeah. your garden is about to become your wellness sanctuary plant friend. Welcome to the Growing Joy with Plants podcast, where we not only learn how to care for plants
0:47.8	successfully, but how to simply and affordably use our plant babies to cultivate more joy
0:52.8	in our lives by doing so. I'm Maria, former plant
0:56.1	killer turned happy plant lady, author of Growing Joy, The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness,
1:01.2	speaker, podcaster, and most importantly, your new best plant friend. On Growing Joy with Plants,
1:06.5	you'll find conversations about house plant care, gardening tutorials, and wellness through the lens of plants.
1:12.4	Plant care is self-care on growing joy.
1:21.4	Hello, plant friends, and welcome. If you're new here, I'm Maria. I'm here to help you care for plants and grow joy.
1:26.4	And if you are a returning guests, welcome home. We're entering garden season, plant, friend. Are you excited? When it comes to exploring how we can grow joy in our gardens, I think one of the most undersung heroes in our gardens are the sense of our plants. I've always been fascinated by the olfactory system, which is like our nose.
1:44.8	It's like how we smell. And today we have a very special guest, Dr. Rachel Hertz. She's a
1:50.2	neuroscientist and one of the world's leading experts on the psychological science of smell.
1:55.4	She's been conducting research on the senses for years. She's an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of
2:02.5	Psychiatries and Human Behavior at Brown University. Ever heard of it? And she's published over
2:07.4	100 original research papers and authored several books, including The Sent of Desire. That's
	...

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