This morning we were talking about whether we remember pain - the literature says that we remember an injury that caused pain so we can learn to avoid future risky behavior. But recalling that a bee stung us, for example, doesn't cause us to re-experience the pain, we simply avoid bees that might sting us.

I found this in a Daily Mirror article:

"Smell is the most sensitive of the senses. People can remember smells with 65% accuracy after a year, while visual recall is about 50% after three months.

Research has shown that smell is the sense most linked to our emotional recollection. So, when linked to a product, that can reap dividends.

Studies show that 75% of emotions are triggered by smell which is linked to pleasure, well-being, emotion and memory – handy when you want people to buy your products.

One of the most evocative smells from childhood is crayons.

A survey found that 85% of all people remembered their childhood when they caught the smell of Crayola crayons and the newer crayon-scented coloured pens."

Mr. Troutbend says he can remember some strongly-scented flowers along a sidewalk in New Jersey where he rode his tricycle when he was 3 years old, one of his first memories.