Life's a Smelling Success: Using Scent to Empower Your Memory and Learning [Paperback]

Alan Hirsch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2003

Life’s a Smelling Success is an innovative book that reveals all the secrets of how certain smells help you remember what you want and need to know most. Simple things, like your mom’s birthday, what you were supposed to bring home for dinner, or simply where you left your keys. On a deeper level, you can use this book to revive cherished memories, learn more about yourself, and reclaim forgotten details of your own rich, personal history. You can even use your sense of smell to curb your appetite, relieve stress, and sleep better. Follow this book-and your nose-to boundless success in all areas of your life.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book can change your whole life for the better. Enjoy! " -- Henry C. Cowen, CEO The Cowen Group.

He describes the olfactory bulb down to the hippocampus with laymen's terms, so you wont mind reading the technical terms. -- Judine Slaughter, Express Yourself Books

This book provides a little of everything for the reader looking to make some life changes. -- Shirley Roe, Allbooks Reviews

About the Author

Alan Hirsch, M.D., F.A.C.P. neurologist and psychiatrist, is a nationally recognized smell and taste expert. He is the Founder and Neurological Director of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago. Hirsch has been a featured guest on Good Morning America, Oprah, CNN, as well as in The New York Times, Cosmopolitan, Redbook, Entrepreneur and hundreds of newspapers and radio interviews.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Authors of Unity Publishing (April 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0972525017
• ISBN-13: 978-0972525015
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,351,785 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating reading, April 17, 2003

By 

Harold McFarland (Florida) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Life's a Smelling Success: Using Scent to Empower Your Memory and Learning (Paperback)

There are a many excellent memory books on the market today. The majority cover various mnemonic techniques, the better ones including a section on biological factors - how nutrition, medication, aging, diseases, etc. affect memory. "Life's a smelling success is the first one I have seen that discusses scent and how it can be directly related to memory.

Dr. Alan Hirsch includes considerable information on experiments done with odors and how they affected learning and memory. Some of the odors discussed are common ones like lavender; others include butterscotch, green apple, and peppermint. We all know the pleasant experience of walking into a house or our favorite restaurant and smelling the wonderful odor of baking bread and how that immediately affects our mood. Dr. Hirsch explains that our "odor memory" transports us back to a pleasant state when we smelled the odor before. The premise of the book is that there are scents that do the same thing for learning. What if there are scents that cause us to be relaxed, but still alert? This is the perfect state for learning. What about odors that remove test anxiety? Throughout this text Dr. Hirsch mentions specific odors and the effect they typically have. He gives you the tools and techniques to build what he calls an "odor library". "Life's a Smelling Success" gets very specific in the research quoted. He looks at the relationship between such things as math and oranges. Or, how do mangos and limes affect males and females differently?

"Life's a Smelling Success" is a highly recommended read that shines light on an area not covered in other memory and learning books. Given that odors are used in everything from increasing sales in stores to calming aggressive people it seems strange that there is not more research on using them for personal growth. Dr. Hirsch starts filling that gap with this book. Bravo, Dr. Hirsch.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW, April 26, 2003

By 

Shirley Priscilla Johnson "Author/Reviewer -... (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Life's a Smelling Success: Using Scent to Empower Your Memory and Learning (Paperback)

What a great book, not only was it a wonderful read, but I got to enjoy a pleasant
odor each time I picked it up.
OK, what am I talking about right? Dr. Hirsch's book "Life's a Smelling Success" is about smells, yes you read that right, and
will you be surprised how your nose can help you in your everyday life.

Dr. Hirsch explains how certain smells help you remember things like birthdays, what you need to buy at the store, and will even unlock your mind to memories that you felt were forever gone.

Want to relieve stress, or sleep better? How about this, want to use your sense of smell to curb your appetite? The answer lies in the pages of this delicious smelling book. I'm serious, you will just have to run out and buy yourself a copy and begin to sniff your way
to success.

Thank you Dr. Hirsch, I assure you that I will be using much of what I have learned from your informative book.
Great read! Highly recommended!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A MUST READ!!!, October 5, 2009

By 

Nicole Wood "alise22" (detroit) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Life's a Smelling Success: Using Scent to Empower Your Memory and Learning (Paperback)

I am a regular at trade shows and conventions for work and remember attending a seminar about using scent to influence customers purchases at retail outlets, or improve their experience at hotels and bars. I don't know if Dr. Hirsch was behind that research, but I bet he was. I bought this book to learn more about the subject and am pleased that I did. Not only do I now have a bunch of fun facts to use with clients when I am at tradeshows, I also learned how to impact my children's ability to focus on school work. This is a must read for any parent who wants their children to succeed, or anyone who struggles with learning and memory (that would be all of us right?!?!)