The Psychology of Scent: Memory, Emotion, and Cognition in the World of Odors

Olfaction is a powerful but underexplored sensory modality in psychol- ogy. Unlike other senses, smell has direct access to limbic structures involved in emotion and memory, making it a privileged channel for evoking autobiographical experiences and modulating affective states. This chapter explores the neurofunctional basis of olfactory perception and its psychological implications, from the very well-known Proust effect to psy- chological experimental paradigms that reveal its unique role in memory, decision-making, and social interaction. We also highlight emerging research on olfaction in educational set- tings and in human-robot interaction, suggesting that smell could be a powerful, embodied gateway to foster trust, engagement, and emotional regulation.