THE SMELL OF BREAD: ITS EFFECTS ON PSYCHOLOGY, EMOTIONS AND MEMORIES

The primary objective of this qualitative study is to examine the emotional, psychological, and social effects of bread odor on individuals. The effects of bread odor on emotional reactions and emotional perceptions carry profound meanings not only in personal experiences but also in cultural contexts. This makes the examination of bread odor important for both gastronomy and cultural studies. A semi-structured interview technique was used as the data collection tool in the study. The research population consisted of individuals of different ages, genders, and sociocultural backgrounds residing in Sakarya, while the sample consisted of 21 participants selected through snowball sampling. A total of 15 questions were asked to the participants, organized around three themes: emotional effects, memory, and psychological and social effects. The findings indicate that the smell of bread frequently evokes feelings of family warmth, longing for the past, compassion, and trust, and bread is defined as a sacred and special food. The smell is associated with memories such as mothers and grandmothers, village life, student housing, and family tables. From a psychological perspective, the scent of bread has been found to relax individuals, provide emotional peace and security, and strengthen social bonds. This demonstrates that scent is a significant trigger for individual memory.

Journal

VEREDAS DO DIREITO

Year

2025

Volume

22

Issue

2

ISSN

1806-3845

eISSN

2179-8699

DOI

10.18623/rvd.v22.n2.3328

WoS UID

WOS:001669808000002

Open via DOI