How to master your sense of smell - Alexandra Horowitz

[@ARandomMagician]

TED-Ed should do one of these videos for each sense.

[@davidsonjoseph8991]

ARandomMagician Common sense included?

[@ARandomMagician]

hahaha, might be useful for some people

[@MetronaJ]

Davidson Joseph what is this "common sense" you speak of? I only know of "uncommon sense"

[@davidsonjoseph8991]

Justin Baker Getting high with Dad jokes now?

[@orekihoutarou730]

lets thumbs up this comment to let ted ed see this

[@robindiamondhands6416]

Learning to taste is also really awesome. I know they kind of go together but they are a bit different. I used to be a coffee taster on different coffee from around the world. We would taste or known as cupping in the coffee industry everyday after roasting the coffee the previous day. Basically the more you practice the better you get at deciphering the smells and tastes. Not to mention its kind of classy to be able to give tasting notes on different drinks. Dang I miss that job haha

[@FRIEDYOGURT-s4c]

Just another one why did you quit? Or did you get fired?

[@cheyneeddy5162]

J Cole they said coffee tasting, not coffee gulp down lmao

[@robindiamondhands6416]

yeah we drank upwards of 6-7 actual cups of coffee through out the day. That's including the cupping portion of the day. My coworker and director of coffee nearly always had a cup in their hand haha. And I decided to leave to go back to school full time. I was only making 4$ more than minimum wage in California. It was probably the most enjoyable job I'll ever have. It's worth it for me to go back to school though.

[@hugedark38]

Just another one

[@abigwhale1043]

Why'd you quit then??

[@ThomasG_]

Follow-up video: How to master your sense of smell without looking like a creep.

[@sarielsworldella1723]

True so true

[@brysonmcknight2296]

Im just here bc i finished demon slayer

[@chocomilk5957]

@@brysonmcknight2296 ....so did i

[@brysonmcknight2296]

@@chocomilk5957 LMFAO

[@quandeldingle4672]

@@brysonmcknight2296 omg me tooo

[@gurdi]

I love the fact that smells can bring up so many specific memories. It sounds weird but I loved the smell of my ex-boyfriend's breath. I can distinguish all of my grandparents just because of their smell! A specific perfume of mine reminds me of an specific stage in my life (when I would wear it often). I love how each person has their own unique smell. It may sound nasty to many but I actually like a lil bit of a sweat smell on men. (Am I sharing too much here? Just throwing facts)

[@sbyoutub3]

me too!! i can smell everyone with my eyes closed and i can tell who they are! i can even tell if my boyfriend changed his perfume lol. not to mention i can guess a lot of scent in a room full of food or flowers, ANYTHING! altho i freak some people out but im really proud of my "talent"

[@protrashinator6467]

3:43 "To get started, take ingredients from the kitchen: spiced, vanilla, or fruit, but never anything toxic." Okay. *snorts cinnamon*

[@nightlight7204]

nice

[@abigwhale1043]

Continuation: **dies**

[@salmiakki7652]

Ever since I was a kid smell really had a strong place in my senses, I have kind of a list of smells that I associate with people I've been close to in my life. I work with different types of explosives and I totally get why sniffer dogs are good at what they do, each one has a really unique odour before and after detonation. Before my current job I use to work in the emerge department and some diseases you could smell from a mile away, diabetes is the perfect example because if it's poorly managed they kind of smell like nail polish remover. You can smell when a person has a fever almost to the level that if your use to the smell you can kind of gather a hunch as to if they are fighting off a virus or a bacterial infection. You can smell a person sweating out drugs, both illegal and prescribed and when people die, or just before they die you can smell death, the expression "the sweet smell of death" is totally true imagine a steak with a very light spritz of perfume and that's the right idea

[@petersimon7266]

Last week my friend had a fever, and somehow I noticed a change of smell in his room. My theory is that when body's immune system is fighting bacteria or viruses, the dead components(microbes and blood cells) get excreted through sweat, giving it a heavy smell. Now I think I can recognize a person having a fever with just smell.

[@Yathuprem]

I just smelled my USB drive, Keyboard and Phone !! I gotta say tacos everywhere

[@MinecraftCutiepie]

I'm gonna freak people out by sniffing at every object in my proximity now

[@aookami9581]

Good idea, I will too :D ! Lets' all sniff the entire world together, hahaha !

[@zoeywolf1118]

me too

[@woonko3300]

I'm on board with ya ;)

[@lukeskywalkerjediknight2125]

BlueBerryKing xD

[@viddhi8015]

I sniffed my phone. So if it gets lost i can find it. It's probably my first priority

[@madf8507]

i sniffed my phone and that ish smell kinda wack im ngl

[@DanielGarcia-ib3wl]

Wait is that possible?

[@remaniant]

@@DanielGarcia-ib3wl over the years a lot of scientific things about the sense of smell has been coming like I saw one saying if you train your nose good and long enough you can actually smell emotions

[@malandan]

finally, someone who has their priorities straight. great minds think alike

[@gamingguygwilym5202]

this video made me sniff chocolate milk powder now its stuck up my nose

[@Mr_Creasy_]

Theres nothing wrong with a little nose candy ;)

[@brittania8969]

Gaming Guy Gwilym Sniffing any kind of powder is not the ideal thing...

[@ToxqJam]

sniff coke, it should take care of your problem(s) right away

[@sarielsworldella1723]

Oh my god

[@mistressolive]

I've linked my appetite with smell. My moto is "If isn't doesn't smell good, it doesn't taste good". After all, we learn more from our world as we smell it, which ultimately helps us to make decisions.

[@eunaofaloalemao995]

Olivia Anderson So you don't eat most cheese

[@mistressolive]

Tio Luffy that actually kind of true because where I live we're only limited to popular demand

[@fool4343]

I can smell an orange from the opposite room of house It would be awesome but I hate everything about oranges

[@carstairsstatehospital8484]

My grandad is like that with bananas

[@kevina.2269]

No Pomegranates !

[@mayven1556]

@@carstairsstatehospital8484 I AM LIKE THAT WITH BANNAS

[@NiamhAllStar21]

My friend always says I have oddly specific descriptions of smell. Not exactly strong sense of smell but I can distinguish lots of things in one smell. One time I smelled a soap in lush that smelled of my grans perfume, superglue, and purple starburst. It was kind of gross.

[@Not_what_it_used_to_be]

I was never able to breath through my nose as a child due to allergies, and for the majority of my life I've just ignored the sense. I am terrible at distinguishing between scents and I often confuse them.

[@AnstonMusic]

I'm too self-aware to try out these steps. Fuck that would look goofy in public.

[@alsoandanswer]

Anston [Music] then do it at home dumbass

[@aprilelrod7228]

Anston [Music] It actually does look pretty goofy, but I get called on it all the time. Especially at convenience store checkouts where they always have air fresheners and leather wallets and things like that. I'm always picking stuff up and smelling it. Then I get that look (or those brave souls that actually ask) "Did you just smell that? Weird..."

[@eero7318]

hei anssi

[@blanmorrison1794]

How do you manage to use the worst cuss word and the most childish word in the same sentence?

[@validalready]

+Blan Morrison you're so matured to use 'cuss' instead of 'curse' cz it totally censors it and noone fucking knows the actual rudeness just like how fxxked up this is

[@0901강민재]

우리의 후각을 단련하는 방법에 대하여 배워보는 시간이 되었습니다. 우리가 어떻게 냄새를 맡는지에 대해서도 배웠습니다. 유익하고 재미있는 시간이 되었습니다. 감사합니다.

[@zhiyarali557]

day 2 Smoke-free. tomorrow I'll be able to smell like a non-smoker. I'm so glad

[@TripleGatan]

ZHiKA GO FOR IT! I BELIEVE IN YOU!

[@360flyby]

good luck. stay strong, it's worth it.

[@d_wang9836]

ZHiKA Day 2 fap free. Tommorow I'll be able to fap and feel good like a nonfapper

[@chadatchison145]

Nonfapper's are a myth. :)

[@zhiyarali557]

Abslon, Lol that was a good one. Thanks guys for the support!!!

[@thesleepyginger1856]

I like to think that I have a higher than average sense of smell to compensate for my hearing. I can smell chunky peanut butter from smooth peanut butter, rice and it's relative age, and much more. I once smelled a friend who I've met only a couple of times from across an auditorium at a jazz concert, even when there was a bowl of chinese food in front of me. And if I'm smelling right, you're bored.

[@jakemeloney4366]

Lol yea remember scent is just energy

[@sion-dafyddlocke9913]

Good video but I would suggest adding continual qualification into the mix, I.e. Smells like read fruit, cherry, fresh cherry, fresh black cherry and so on. I've had people get very frustrated when they here experts speak very specifically and they don't realize there's a process to it. Also I have to disagree about sharp sniffing. I've always gotten more types of scents and better descriptors when taking deep, controlled even breaths. I would compare sharp sniffing to going into a museum and walking as quickly as possible up to a painting. Also should keep in perspective molecular size. When smelling wine, I'm not trying to smell big fat ethanol chains, I want to smell tiny little polyphenol rings first. I'd suggest also what I call environmental smelling, where you start off just breathing in and try and hone into a certain smell. Can be done blind or known, but it helps explore intensity as well as experiencing it in combination with other smells, since rarely do we ever smell just one thing at a time. It's also a great way to explore directionality with smell and play with how we use scent in mapping our environment.

[@MrErensarier]

first step: stop smoking

[@Mr_Creasy_]

YES! I've always wanted to smell like Dr. Hannibal Lector!

[@TripleGatan]

Mr. Creasy... Was that a bad pun or a typo?

[@Mr_Creasy_]

You tell me... Jey??? 👀 👃 Ahhhhhhhhhhhh

[@ChrisPPotatoIDC]

Dad?

[@privatebunjijumper]

I thought the same thing as well LOL

[@dead-indise7263]

I know right, I'd love to be able to smell wine or when someone has auto immune encephalitis since Hannibal said its scent was warm, poor will tho and his beautiful dogs, love Winston the most

[@JolinHard]

I'm like this! When I came home from school I would always guess correct what my mom was cooking. She would get surprised and It made me feel like a boss because no one else could do it.

[@extremesubtlety]

Time to begin my sniffing adventure. Wish me luck.

[@josephdol1845]

I love this animator, I wish you guys could Black powder on here more often

[@Helvetica09]

I found this candle that smelled exactly like my favourite book and stationary shop in my hometown :D it literally looked like out of a ghibli movie because there where soo many things all over the little shop and the woman that owned it ( literally the oldest woman in our town) lived over the shop and she had the most beautiful rural backyard :D i really need to find that candle again because that store closes years ago :( amazing what scents can do :D

[@mkjbawi9308]

I have a very strong sense of smell even I can smell what are the ingredients in some kind of foods I'm proud of it ❤

[@vusiliyK]

Love this video and love the animations. Great work!

[@inhaleexhaleex]

I applaud you Ted-Ed, great video, great work

[@liltrump799]

I used to have such an insane sense of smell but after I gott COVID it haven't been the same since.

[@SWatchik]

I love the blend of proper science, and culture.

[@samarmohammedrashed7353]

thanks God I have realy good sense of smell ..I can even understand allot of dlsmell

[@harshsharma5894]

Good Information☺☺

[@itudor]

0:25 that hissing sound scared the hell out of me

[@kimchikoalaa714]

Don't do this in chemistry class, when reacting ammonium salts with alkali ( OR ANY CHEMICAL BASICALLY)

[@meganmyhre2537]

Unless you are me since I apparently don't have as many olfactory receptors. If you have packets of salad pas (probably bad spelling) you know they are VERY minty. I can inhale through my nose deeply in these packets and only have a minor reaction to it being minty instead of feeling like my nose is on fire.

[@godxavior]

I always sniff things before eating or drinking them, I consider it as important as tasting. I get weird looks sometimes though and the occasional question, often "has it gone bad?". people don't like to see you sniff things even discreetly

[@user-ez5vq9fd2t]

I love the way girls smell. Their hair and shampoo. Their natural skin aroma :)

[@malandan]

this would be incredibly creepy without context. neverless, this is still creepy.

[@daetwaanfraser4890]

this smells fishy

[@vexhion5294]

Daetwaan uchiha n1

[@daniyalshah1503]

it doesn't

[@daetwaanfraser4890]

Abd Alrahim Fadila . dank memes

[@ChrisPPotatoIDC]

Pussy ( ͡ʘ ͜ʖ ͡ʘ)

[@daniyalshah1503]

A Cat true

[@zuzu-the-boozoo]

I’m boutta become tanjirou in a few seconds.

[@hellocoo6406]

same letss gooooooooooooooooooo

[@michaelyadchuk6172]

This was a quite interesting topic. Thanks

[@moserbear221]

Oh yeah

[@thegamingcube3355]

Tried smelling some white powder, high now

[@AmesiesCorner]

Thumbs up if you started smelling things around your keyboard..

[@lukeskywalkerjediknight2125]

Amesie's Automotive Corner lol

[@morenasexy809]

I actually smelled the keyboard lol

[@Kceam]

Very fitting Video because i am reading "The Perfume" by Patrick Süskind at the moment :D

[@poque48]

Thanks for explaning those sniff training i sniffed every moments and keep practicing because i want to be a perfumer Thanks for uploaded it

[@mtb_riddhi]

Thanks , now I am the real Tanjiro

[@auburneytuckerson2959]

My trick: wet the tip your nose. The moisture draws in more smells. That's why your sense of smell increases after you get out of the shower.

[@ipadgirl72]

actually im really good at smelting food and the ingredients in them i also can smell differences between people

[@rachitabrol3633]

I wanted you all guys to make video on cosmos or on quantum mehanics . will you guys do it?

[@brandt7898]

Vladimir Horowitz still the best Horowitz

[@mollyhoffman7313]

All of the old books my dad brought from his childhood home (like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Dr. Seuss books, etc.) have a distinctive smell.

[@naasirosman8975]

The animated guy looks so funny

[@earlessroboticcat7102]

I love the smell of cold cold breeze. I don’t know why but when I go food shopping, I pick up some steaks and smell the refrigerator instead of the meat. 😂

[@clari2790]

So, its 2020 now and Demon Slayer be epic.I know there are weebs here....And for all of the weebs, Im watching you...

[@norinchey]

Hey dude! Ok...

[@Mrhansmagnus]

How did you know

[@ethanjorgensen6754]

And I'm watching you

[@viktoracimovic1459]

Actually its beastars but i watched demon slayer too

[@hi-vc5lt]

How-

[@Azmina_the_warlock]

I work in a library, I'm not smelling books. Sometimes you can't help but smell them anyway >.< lol

[@echogaybaldfith7466]

The nose is so great I really liked this video Well done here, TED-ed :)

[@charmagne2102]

To recognize a smell I try to bring up the memory that is linked to that smell, this is the hardest part, then I slowly go through the memory sequence and look at everything that could have possibly emitted a similar smell. Plus...The Channel NO. 5 perfume just smells like baby powder, with some jasmine.

[@TheAdriyaman]

2:01 She is like, "WTF, dude!!"

[@FalkoJ89]

Honestly, I feel like a majority of people can't smell their food well enough (and I mean when it's inside your mouth). Kids would appreciate vegetables a lot more if they used their smell more than their taste. I know people who literally can't tell the difference between frozen and home made food (like pizza).

[@donellebullock7404]

So I've been training myself this whole time and never knew it.

[@annonnymoose20]

Did anyone else sniff their phone?

[@ilooklikemonalisarightnowl816]

annonnymoose20 me!!!!!

[@joytagle5833]

I didnt. But in my mind, I did 😅

[@lunareclipse-]

I sniff my hand cream

[@apowers7783]

Alfie, what are you doing sniffing the door knob?

[@Lukas-kh5gu]

*video summary:* pay attention to your environment because there is always some scent of something around and sniff actively. well, i would have expected a bit more in-depth and tricks or certain ways to actively increase your sense of smell. for example, as a cigar smoker you do not - since we don't inhale - blow out the smoke through your nose. however, there's a technique that allows you to do blow the smoke that is "sitting" in your mouth through the nose, which is called a retro hale. there's lots of stuff to it.

[@jmanj3917]

It seems that my Smell Vocabulary has me sniffing at a third grade level.

[@paw9122]

If there wasnt a sniffing sound effect every 2 seconds I would be able to watch this video lol...

[@thestreetscent]

Great video

[@shafickrahman88]

I gotta buddy who is the best in smelling. If you fart he will tell exactly what dish you ate 🤣

[@cron0xmax]

I smell things all the time and my friends think that it’s weird, but I don’t care because smelling is my superpower 😌

[@kle1sky]

If I can make a subtitles in another language, can I add them to the video?

[@podersa241]

I can smell a persons scent and tell if they sleep with many partners. I can also tell if it is a male and or female that they are sleeping with or cheating on their partners. I can smell other odors and pick up on what is different in my home. I can touch a penny and mentally taste it. I can imagine a rose in my mind and smell it. One of my other sisters has the same ability. My sister would tell me about a co-worker that was sleeping with different men during her lunch hour because her scent would change and just so you know many partners makes your scent rancid. The more the worse the smell is. During covid I offered a friend to stay in a separate place I had upstairs with a private entrance. His scent was so rancid but I was confused so I had to confront him and ask if he was sleeping around or in a relationship. He said I am sleeping with both men and women. I asked him to leave the following day because this is not a time to be doing this when we have an epidemic. My sister had to help me clean the place and remove that scent and I have to tell you it took me a month of cleaning everyday and burning incense to get the smell out.

[@antonioxaxafilho7178]

Na qualidade de iniciante houve pouco compreensão do texto.

[@FreakyBo0o]

I love this.

[@deshundontae23]

can you do this for sight and hearing

[@raqueltome1543]

I guess would be a good perfumer 😁🌺

[@sammie8262]

my best sense is touch, and one time my friend closed my eyes gave me five things, bread, a marker, a bottle, her ring, and a pen, and I got them all right.

[@nickyam8474]

My family are looking at me weirdly... 😂

[@pritikanadas3140]

2:01 I don't have 😊

[@saisevithaa1772]

01:24 see what the artist is doing?

[@daimonwings3838]

Lol

[@unicornlover1002]

Sometimes my sense of smell gets so good ,that i can even smell my booger

[@faizasultana2476]

a comment after 10 minutes of the video being uploaded yaaay first feeling when being too early

[@zhiyarali557]

faiza sultana Who cares

[@faizasultana2476]

i care

[@Telamon062]

I would if I had a sense of smell lol

[@BaBooTubeVideos]

The thumbnail caught my *eye.*

[@senpaifriendzonedme]

knew where this one was going

[@Abo-El-Fotoh]

Good video

[@amansinghbhadauria2818]

narration and topic is good ,but what had happened to ted ed's animation ?

[@michaelborch2432]

there's a norwegian artist that came up with a vocabulary for smells

[@anthonytarczynski5423]

1:50 what is he doing?

[@sandrawong6787]

Sniffing makes your experience more enjoyable And it makes your nose bigger

[@luke5398]

I would do this but I'm scared I'll become ill from all the germs I suck up with my nose.. Any way to prevent this?

[@samh3396]

First I'll have to unblock my nose lmao

[@phoenixflamegames1]

I lost my sense of smell, except for strong scents. Does this help/still work?

[@sion-dafyddlocke9913]

PhoenixFlameGames Depends on how you lost it, but you've got nothing to lose. I know plenty of sommeliers, myself included, who figure out how to smell around allergies.

[@phoenixflamegames1]

Well, I think I lost my sense of smell due to a certain mote in an old theatre, which got stuck in my nose. I smelled the same scent for weeks.

[@sion-dafyddlocke9913]

Then I would definitely recommend trying it. If you can sense different flavors in food still, your olfactory bulb probably wasn't effected much and the problem lies in the tissue of your nose or sinuses. And in time, it could return back to normal, like a smoker who can't smell his own smokiness, but has no problem smelling it after he quits. I left another comment on here that talks about some of the techniques I use when I have to do wine education programs. Go check that out, especially the continual qualification.

[@carlyann3497]

when it said to put your nose right on the thing you want to smell I looked around and saw a blanket and in like "idc lets use that"

[@rainbowsomeone]

I won't think about this everytime I breathe.

[@abrilmartinez7481]

Hellen keller:*smells me* so you're a bad cook me:nope im an astronaut (space partialy smells like burnt steak)

[@JelowGames]

I've always been known as a good smeller in my family my nose was able to smell twice as good as a normal one I'd know who's coming even walls away if I know them

[@monsieurLDN]

So did you do the steps in the video unconsciously

[@PujaDevi-nr8qk]

I have a strong sense of smell and can distinguish things just by smelling anything. But It is hard to believe for the people around because I am the only one like this within the family. Long story short: Sometimes boon become bane.

[@rachelhahn4461]

Anyone else thought the olfactory epithelium looked like a cute little caterpillar stuck horrifyingly up our nose?!?!!!

[@nealwarren8878]

is It possible for my brain to trigger smells like I imagine burning plastic and I smell burning plastic because that's something I can do for some weird reason

[@lastshadow2542]

Instructions unclear, got hand in shredder

[@ChrisPMadden]

What about those of us who have no sense of smell? Due to a head injury, i have not been able to smell anything (zero percent) for over 20 years. Have those memories of places and people vanished?

[@HeadCannon19]

Me after watching this video: “I’m gonna…sniff my…um…powdered sugar? Yeah, I wanna…learn how it smells…”