The Secret Behind Autumn's Irresistible Scents
- mannkarissa
- Oct 11
- 2 min read
As summer fades away and fall dawns with bright orange jack-o-lanterns and everything cinnamon, nature dies but leaves behind a particularly mezmerising aroma. Autumn's signature scent isn't just the manifestation of fancy candles or a made-up presence in your head. It's actually the very ground that crunches under your feet that releases the lively smell.
Leaves turn orange, brown, and red in the fall as a result of shorter days and lower temperatures. These conditions influence trees to stop producing chlorophyll, the substance necessary for photosynthesis. To save water, energy, and nutrients, the trees release their leaves to die. As they perish, they turn into fall's defining colors and produce a delicious scent.
The smell is excreted as the leaf decomposes. Sugar and carbohydrates in the leaf break down and release gasses which display musky tones. These tones even vary from place to place, depending on what type of plant drops leaves. So, autumn even smells different in specific locations!
Another factor that allows these familiar aromas to be so prominent is the presence of fewer molecules in the cooler air. Therefore, less particles are floating around for you to smell and you are able to detect the leaves' scents more clearly.
These aromas even have the power to determine your mood. When you inhale odor molecules, they attach to receptors in your nose and send signals to your brain. Your amygdala and hippocampus then process these scents and trigger memories and emotions you previously experienced when the smell was there, whether you noticed it or not. Smells spark memory quicker than other senses like sight and hearing, automatically evoking intense emotions. This is why autumn is often described as a feeling.
But the feeling of autumn isn't only determined by the type of leaves decaying on the ground. It's defined by the people around you and the memories you make in the cozy season. Essentially, leaves hold memories and each year they release them once again into the world in the form of signature aromas. These aromas remind us of the true purpose of fall: to bring people together by reminding us of the times we had with them.
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