Nikon & Olfactory Imagery

The always-innovative folks at Nikon are celebrating the launch of their new range of COOLPIX compact cameras - which “capture memories in more vivid detail than ever before” - with an intriguing study into the connection between visual and olfactory recall.

The study, which was conducted across 23 countries, revealed that 47% of Brits can remember the scent associated with a photograph, while just under a quarter said they would actively take a picture of something based purely on the way it smells. The results also show that British women are more likely to pay attention to the scent of their surroundings when taking a picture than men, with over a quarter stating they would capture a photograph of something that smells appealing – for example a rose garden.

Commenting on the research, Dr Rachel Herz, a leading world expert in the psychological science of scent and Professor at Brown University, said: “This research shows just how powerful the link between our memories and the sense of smell really is. While a photograph can visually remind us of a particular moment in time, if it is accompanied by scent it will elicit even more emotional and evocative memories – more than any other memory trigger.”

“This research into the scents associated with memories shows that not only do Europeans have an amazing ability to remember certain scenes and locations based on scents and smells, the majority also make a conscious effort to maximise the power of these memories for themselves,” says Mark Pekelharing, Product Manager for Consumer Products at Nikon. “Our new range of COOLPIX compact cameras can capture memories better than ever before – although they don’t quite capture smell just yet, they certainly evoke it!”