Sense of Smell

I woke up this morning, thinking about the sense of smell, if it aids or detracts from memory retention.

I wondered, because they say that when one sense is impaired, the other senses become stronger, to make up for it. So, I wonder, if more than one sense is being used, and the brain is multi-tasking, does it weaken all the senses a bit but combine to build a firmer memory? Or does the employ of additional senses help with memory retention? Finally, am I weird for instinctively sniffing everything?

Okay, I don't sniff compulsively by any means, but when I went grocery shopping with my roommate, I picked out a bag of corn tortillas, turned them over to be sure of their condition, and then raised the bag to my nose and sniffed. They smelled fresh, but I didn't even give it a thought beforehand. Now, that may seem normal, but I started thinking about my first reaction to withdrawing a knife from it's sheath.

This was at my other roommate's house, and there was this huge and long, antique Chinese saber or sword or whatever, and when everyone was gone from the house, one day I pulled it out from the corner, pulled the sword out from the sheath and after a minute's pause to look at the blade, I bent my head and sniffed it.

Is this normal? Do people sniff weapons?

I'm not sure if it was because I was trying to find out if it was old metal or had been used on anything recently, or what, but I sniffed.

I've always had a strong sense of scent. My best friend in junior high had a collection of higher end perfumes from Nordstrom and Saks, probably 25 or so, and I could identify them all when she wore them, after sniffing them or hearing their names. But perfume is one thing.

I started to wonder if sniffing something enhances the ability to retain information about an object, and what the exact purpose is for.

I didn't sniff the darts at the bar, by the way. Or the dartboard. I do sniff books sometimes, especially if it's one I like. I've done that since I was a kid and I know other people who do as well.