Have you smelled a book? Not being weird, but I think everyone does that. In fact, it is not weird at all. We all also love the smell of a large library. We can smell knowledge, history, the scent of heritage, and the souls of the past. Sentences in a Cathedral Paul Dean is perhaps in agreement with the pleasure of a number of people against the smell and aroma of books. This also makes some readers reluctant to switch from printed books to e-books, complete with their devices.
Related to this, UNESCO has also determined the smell of books as the aroma of inherited objects. This was reported in a paper entitled “Smell of heritage: a framework for identification, analysis and archival of historic odors”.
Smells of Old Books
The distinctive aroma of the book comes from the combination of various volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released into the air from paper. Some of these compounds are acetic acid, benzaldehyde, butanol, furfural, or methoxyphenylloxime and others. In addition to various compounds, the nose (obviously) also plays an important role why someone likes the smell of books. The nose is bound directly to the limbic system which is responsible for our emotions. This also causes odors to be one of the strongest ways to trigger memories. So, memories like the pleasure to read and enjoy Idnplay poker come back from our past.
Research entitled “Recognizing odors associated with meaningful places” says that odor is very important to attach meaning to space and experience. The study, published by The American Journal of Psychology, cites an interesting experience in the book Swann’s Way by Marcel Proust related to the smell and meaning in the room.
Research
Scientists try to measure the extent to which scents affect our perception of a place. As reported by Jstor Daily, the researchers involved several participants to smell and see a scene. Then the participants were asked to write stories in response. As a result, it was much easier for participants to create convincing and detailed scenarios in a warm atmosphere with a pleasant aroma. However, if a warm room is paired with an unpleasant odor, participants create unfavorable details and have trouble remembering details if the scent does not match the view.
Conclusion
In conclusion, when someone is reading a story or is imagining the outline of an episode depicted in the setting of a novel, the smell of the book serves as glue that binds the scene and maintains implicit memory of the details of the incident.
Therefore, many people are fond of reading books and even spending time reading them in the library. Reading in a library is proven to make reading more solemn. The silence that is gained while in the library makes our hearts calm. Moreover, our understanding of the contents of the book we are reading also becomes faster. This because there are not too many significant distractions that can interfere with our concentration. It’s different when we read books at home or in cafes or in other public places which of course too many things can disturb our concentration.