SMELL AND CULTURE · LESSON 3 OF 5
Why can the same smell mean different things to different people?
Many smells are tied to routines and rituals: washing, cleaning, worship, celebration. What they mean depends on where and how a person encountered them.
SmellBook labels 17 entries as cultural in their type, and records the feelings and contexts commonly associated with every entry. These are associations, not measurements, and SmellBook does not claim that any group shares them.
- Pick one entry labelled cultural. Ask two people what it reminds them of and compare their answers.
clean · airy · soft · fresh
Open profile ↗SB-0022 · Material / Cultural ReferenceLeatherdry · warm · material · dark
Open profile ↗SB-0024 · Place / Cultural ExperienceChlorine / Poolsharp · clean · chemical · fresh
Open profile ↗SB-0034 · Source / Cultural ReferenceEucalyptusaromatic · green · sharp · cool
Open profile ↗Smells of work and craft
Smell and Culture is free, like all of SmellBook Learn. It describes how SmellBook records places, times and cultural associations. It does not describe what any culture, religion or group believes, and associations are not shared by everyone.