Being raised in an Italian family, food was always a big part of my life. Food brought family and friends all together whether it was for a holiday, birthday, special occasion, or just because people decided to stop by. Not only does food allow for opportunities to create great and long lasting memories, but it also allows you to remember them. Have you ever noticed how when you are eating a certain food, whether it is your favorite food or your most hated food, you mind is filled with the memories from the past?
Food is present in most memorable events, whether you think about it or not. But how does this food that you eat at a party, or any social event cause you to produce these memories from your past? The answer all lies within the brain. Now scientist are uncertain about how this truly happens yet they have some sort of an idea. Theres something call associative memory, which basically means you connect certain smells and taste to certain things. For example when you smell burning wood you immediately link it to a fire without seeing any flames. Associative memory is connected to the limbic system which is in control of all the memories stored within the hippocampus (part of the brain where memories are stored). the process of this starts when your sensory organs transmit a signal to your brain which then are transmitted to the associative portion of the brain called the olfactory bulb. The olfactory bulb is connected to the amygdala which is responsible for emotions and then the signal travels to the hippocampus which is where the memory becomes apparent.
We all think of food as this simple and delicious thing, yet it is so much more. Food activates portions of the brain and causes you to feel a plethora of emotions. It also acts as a time machine and as you take that first bite of your favorite meal, you are immediately brought back to your past. Food is much more powerful than we think and we must not take it for granted.
work cited
http://www.answers.com/topic/why-do-certain-smells-trigger-vivid-memories
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/201205/why-certain-smells-trigger-positive-memories
http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/publications/observer/2012/april-12/fragrant-flashbacks.html
This blog was very interesting! I never would have guessed that tasting certain foods and trigger our memories. It made me think of what other things can food trigger! I found that some foods can trigger anxiety. Such foods include hot dogs, sausage, and pies!
Based on your research food doesn’t actually bring back memories, it just triggers something in the brain that might cause such thing. What an interesting topic? To most people food is just a way to survive or somethings to enjoy, when it could be much more. Some types of food are good for our bodies and some aren’t. However what’s interesting is if food have the ability to bring back memories. I just think a combination of things could bring back memories, but food itself isn’t the primary source of bring memories back. I conclude that food could trigger something in the brain that might cause that person to get his memory back