A recent study found that familiar scents could be more powerful than words in helping depressed individuals recover. The study, conducted by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, revealed that familiar scents facilitated the recall of specific autobiographical memories in people with depression. In the study, participants with clinical depression were given glass vials with familiar odor samples and were asked to recall specific memories in response to the cue. The researchers found that memory recall was stronger in depressed individuals when they received odor cues compared to word cues. The researchers are now looking into the association between certain smells and positive memories for people with depression to further explore the potential impact of familiar scents on recovery. However, a limitation of the study is the lack of a healthy control group and the relatively small sample size.
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Smelling Familiar Scents May Help Depressed Individuals In Their Recovery: Study
