What Live Journal Is For
I guess I've decided to use this thing for its intended purpose for a change; not just to vent, but rather to pose a question and see what others think. The question pertains to which sense, smell or sound, that is closest tied to memory. There is a commercial that can be recalled about a certain deodorant, I think, that quotes something to the affect of, "Smell is the closest tie to memory." Now, I'm not disagreeing per-say, but I think that sound can closely rival, if not, overtake the link the memory. For instance, if I smell a certain type of herbal essences, it reminds me immediately of someone I was once close to. So yes, smell definately links to memory. But certain songs, or even sounds, remind me of moments in their entirety. Several examples - Upon hearing the song Feel, by Matchbox 20, I am immediately taken to a car ride I once had to a restaurant called the Hearth and Kettle. Hearing Scenes from an Italian Restaurant, by Billy Joel, immediately takes me back to the couch and the laptop in which I first heard the turn. Getting away from restaurants, the tunes of Yellowcard and Simple Plan give me vivid memories of high school, and thinks I was thinking at the time. I even rememver studying vocabulary on the way to Dr. Mongeon's first period class while driving down a hill on Beech Street in Franklin while listening to the song Only One. And tonight, I saw my best friend from high school, Charles, for the first time in two years; while I pulled into the high school we once attended, he put on the song 25 or 6 to 4 by Chicago, for which the moment will forever be engraved in my head by that song. So, I guess, I know that smell is most certainly tied to memory, as even tonight while walking and thinking about this topic, I inhaled some cooler, dry air and was reminded of a cold morning at band camp, ::shudder:: but it didn't have the discernibility (hope that's a word) of any of the songs tied to events. I was just wondering if this is commonl or if it's just because I like to consider music being a fairly important aspect of my life. ::shrug:: I'll go to sleep, and maybe read if anyone has two cents or so on the issue. Good night.