ABSTRACT
Olfactics is the study of the communicative aspects of scent and smell. Smells help to identify one another, and even play a role in developing and sustaining our relationships. Smell can function as an attractor, a relaxer, and a memory evoker. Odors have social effects. Smell can contribute to the communication of emotion, precipitating a kind of emotional contagion and emotional synchronization among individuals. The sense of smell in humans, though among the least sensitive in the animal kingdom, plays a pivotal role - though a largely subconscious one - in attracting others to us and us to them. The perceived pleasantness of body odor is correlated to facial attractiveness for men and women alike, making it possible for others to identify us by our unique smell. Smell aids sensory recall, sparking memories that have receded. Often connected with an emotional experience, smell brings back the feelings of "being there".
