Study explains why we sometimes notice odors that no one else smells

You walk down the street, pass by a place, and suddenly you smell something that catches your attention. Comment who you’re with and it seems like he or she doesn’t smell it. Or, in another situation, maybe you’re at home and notice an unusual aroma without knowing where it’s coming from. Don’t worry, you’re not imagining things. This phenomenon, called “phantom smell” or phantosmia, has been studied by science.

O awesome.club explains how this super peculiar situation occurs and why it’s more normal than you can imagine.

The newspaper JAMA Otolaryngology — Head & Neck Surgery published a study carried out by researchers from different American universities and institutes, explaining that the perception of phantom odors is a real phenomenon and that, although it is not very widespread, there is a percentage of people who experience it on a daily basis.

The team that coordinated these studies, led by Dr Kathleen Bainbridge of the Program of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the NIDCD (National Department of Health and Human Services), analyzed data on habits, lifestyle and health of more than 7,000 Americans over 40 years old, collected between 2011 and 2014. Of the people whose data were analyzed, 534, that is, 6.5%, responded that they had noticed odors that seemed to have no real source. Such smells are usually characterized as unpleasant, stinky or pungent.

The results suggest that the causes of the perception of phantom odor may be different from one person to another, but it is possible that they are related to the detection of hyperactive nasal odor or to the malfunction of the brain function responsible for detecting odors. However, some factors became quite clear. For example:

It is more common in women. But the older they are, the less likely they are to notice these phantom scents.

Odor perception may be related to head injuries and dry mouth.

People of low socioeconomic status may present this phenomenon more frequently when exposed to multiple environmental pollutants.

Through the tests carried out, a consensus was reached that the most detected phantom odors by the people who participated in the study were smoke or the smell of burning. This can pose a real problem, as some of those affected may have difficulty recognizing when there is a real fire emergency or when it is just their false perception.

Olfactory hallucinations are more common than you think. The data released by the American survey allow us to pave the way for future studies that manage to discover a closer cause. However, the researchers point out that, before giving a diagnosis of phantosmia, it is necessary to verify that the person in question has not suffered seizures in the temporal lobe, inflammation of the paranasal sinuses, that he does not have brain tumors or early Parkinson’s disease.

Do you have any memories of smelling something you didn’t know where it came from? Why, in your opinion, are women more prone to this? Tell us your opinion in the comments.