Some of my favorite smells are a Christmas tree, chocolate chip
cookies baking in the oven, and freshly cut pumpkins at
Halloween — I can’t imagine not being able to smell these
delightful things. But according to the National Institutes of
Health, between 1% and 2% of people in North America say they
have a smell disorder. About 25% of men age 60–69 and 11% of
women in this same age range have difficulty being able to
smell. Not being able to smell, either somewhat or at all, can
be dangerous, as our noses alert us to smells that can signal
danger, such as a fire, a gas leak, or spoiled food. It can also
be a sign of a serious medical problem. How our sense of smell
works We have special cells in our noses called olfactory
sensory neurons. These cells are connected to the brain, and
when they’re stimulated by something, like popcorn popping at
the movie theater, the neurons send a message to the brain,
which identifies the smell. Smells reach these sensory neurons
through our nostrils and also through our th