Dr. Rachel Herz - The Psychological and Quality of Life Impact of Smell Loss

Dr. Rachel Herz is a neuroscientist and leading expert on the psychological science of smell, she has been conducting research on the sense of smell, emotion perception, motivated behaviour, and cognition since 1990.
In addition, Dr. Herz is a TEDx speaker, published over 90 original research papers, received numerous awards and grants, co-authored scholarly handbooks, while also being adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behaviour at Brown University and a part-time faculty in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at Boston College.
Moreover, she is a professional consultant to various industries regarding scent, taste, food, and flavour, also being called upon as an expert witness in legal cases involving olfaction. As an author, she has released several distinguished academic and popular science books including the leading college textbooks.
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Introduction: 0:00
Presentation: 5:01
Q&A
- Have there been any studies covering smell loss in paediatric PTSD and how would someone go about dealing with this? 33:23
- Is there a reason why I enjoy my food more when it is raw rather than cooked? And how come I experience phantom smells even though I have anosmia? 34:45
- How does the brain re-adjust when someone has lost their sense of smell? 37:02
- What is the relationship between autism and the sense of smell? 38:44
- Salt, Sugar, Fat: Drive, Diet and Nutrition 40:13
- Can trigeminal stimulation improve the experience of food? 44:18
- How has Covid-19 had an impact on the awareness of smell/taste disorders? 46:14
- What can you do to enrich your experiences when you don't have a sense of smell? 48:38
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Fifth Sense is the charity for people affected by smell and taste disorders. Our vision is to transform society’s understanding of the importance of the senses of smell and taste, and through doing so, transform the lives of those affected by smell and taste disorders.
Linktree: linktr.ee/FifthSenseUK
#LetsTalkSmellAndTaste

[@perception19645]

Underappreciated is an understatement, I have lived without the sense of smell for 18yeras, the impact has effective all areas of my life that has not been supported by medical, family or the broader community in general. It's a silent disability with big impacts to my quality of life on a daily basis. The reality for me is as the years pass it gets worse as the past fades due to lose of triggers

[@FifthSenseUK]

Hi Matthew, thank you for your comment and for sharing your experience. If you would like to talk to someone about your situation, you can email us directly at: [e-mail]

[@dinkle5813]

Very helpful

[@charlottep.7871]

This was fascinating. I was not aware of the impact smell loss has in spatial navigation and executive functioning. Could you share any interesting literature to dive a bit deeper into the subject?

[@FifthSenseUK]

Hi Charlotte, Thank you for your comment and we are happy to hear that you found the video interesting. If you could email us at [e-mail] this will make it easier to share information with you.

[@gabymeneses1758]

I'm here to learn more about this topic for my assignment but, I always been a huge believer scents affect our daily life and can if used wisely it can help in many areas (motivation) in particular is the one I'm researching right now

[@FifthSenseUK]

We hope your research goes well. Do check out the resources on our website here: www.fifthsense.org.uk/psychology-and-smell/ Mags, Support and Information Officer.

[@gabymeneses1758]

@@FifthSenseUK thank you!😊

[@thedave4141907]

As a person who lost their sense of smell. She made it sound so much worse than it actually is

[@FifthSenseUK]

Thank you for your comment David.

[@kare1972bear]

How long have you been without the sense of smell?

[@thedave4141907]

@@kare1972bear for over 10 years

[@TheHappyTangerine]

@thedave4141907 I have lost my sense of smell and a lot of this resonates with me I think she is presenting what the potential effects are as it can vary

[@1965simonfellows]

... one minor point. The organism doesnt actually need carbohydrates to stay alive as long as it has enough calories from fat and enough protein. The trad. Inuit diet for example

[@kellyogrady5636]

As a teenager, I began to lose my sense of smell until it completely went away in my 30s. I will be 60 in a few months and am trying to find out how to get it back. I did have a traumatic childhood, and a recent psychiatrist told me that where your brain stores ptsd is so close to where your sense of smell is. If it is bad, it can and does cause loss of smell. Just trying to figure out how to get it back.

[@FifthSenseUK]

Hi Kelly, thank you for sharing your experiences. If you would like to talk to someone about your situation, you can email us directly at: [e-mail] (I thought I'd replied previously, but my comment seems to have disappeared- sorry).

[@anacaceres9347]

Por favor habiliten los subtitulos en español🙏

[@FifthSenseUK]

We will try our best to do this for you (Haremos todo lo posible para hacer esto por usted)

[@anacaceres9347]

@@FifthSenseUK thanks you!!❤😊