What does summer smell like? Grass freshly cut? A campfire burning? It might smell like something more specific. A friend told me that summer smells like her grandfather’s truck. As a kid she was told never to play in the truck bed, but some of her favorite memories are sneaking into that truck bed when he wasn’t looking. Whenever she has that smell of warm plastic she is instantly transported to those moments as if she is literally there again. Smells have a unique ability, for good or bad, to make us time travel. I have been fascinated by this ever since gaining my undergrad in Psychology from Temple University.

Psychologists frequently study the impact that memories can have on us. We often have a biological response to smells. The brain can release or hold back certain neurotransmitters that make us think and feel exactly like we did in the moment that smells were present. This also happens with sounds. This often happens because we encounter the world through our memories. Some scientists have suggested that we never actually learn a skill, but recall doing it and repeat it. Every new encounter is filtered through our memories to help us decide how we feel about it and what our next action should be. Memories are very powerful.

One of my favorite verses in the Bible says that as a person thinks in their heart, so they are (Proverbs 23:7). Scientist studying memories have discovered that our repeated experiences create tracks in our brains like grooves in a record. Our memories become our system of how to think about things. This is true for both good and bad repeated experiences. For example, when we encounter traumatic things repeatedly it creates these record grooves in our brains so that when we encounter something new, we are encountering a possibly good event through the negative lens of trauma. Thankfully, we also create positive ways of thinking by repeating good events, like happy times in the back of a loved one’s truck.

These positive memories can be used when bad days come. We can intentionally have a smell or taste handy that transports us back to a time when we were calm, content, excited, or full of joy. Reliving these memories is healing to us. We have been through a lot the past few years and difficulties are still on the horizons. So here are ways to use the power of memories. First, surround yourself with triggers for good memories like pictures, candles, cocoa, or anything else you know triggers happy memories. Second, intentionally make good memories. What memories could you make this summer with family and friends that will create a better way of seeing the world tomorrow?