An emotional response usually follows hearing the voice or smelling the odour of a romantic partner. This study attempts to illuminate some of the importance of, as well as the differences between, these reactions by observing how the brain remembers and recognizes the personal smell and voice respectively of an individual with physical attraction as a factor. Peripheral and central pathways of olfactory and auditory input are described as well as the functional aspects of perception in these senses; specifically how input is stored in memory and later recognized. The neurology of memory and attraction are discussed in relation to olfaction and audition. An experiment was carried out on a total of 6 individuals in order to indicate whether the voice or the smell of an individual to whom one is physically attracted is recognized faster, as well as help to indicate other relevant information, such as which variables affect the speed of recognition and whether physical attraction enables, inhibits or has no effect on recognition.
Lottie Phillips