Good Reads from Mallorca: Munich's Sexy Smell & The Wave Sleep Effect
Every week I send you a curated round-up of mind body related content you might enjoy. At least I did :)
Hello my fellow ocean lovers,
I'm still soaking up the sun in Mallorca, where my days are filled with relaxation, reading and lots of swimming. As a freelance writer, I appreciate the freedom to work from anywhere, but really disconnecting to enjoy a holiday has always been a challenge for me. This time it worked and I was able to spend precious moments with my mum and aunt - in between lounging on the beach and shopping in those lovely little tiendas for things I probably don't need.
Anyway, this week I've got two articles for you … well and a little personal video greeting from the sea.
Cheers, Katie
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👃The Art of Sniffing… and Why Munich Sometimes Smells Like Sperm
Freshly brewed coffee, the salty sea - beloved smells, right? But what about the pungent smell of petrol? To me it sounds lovely, but to others it's the smell of hell.
Fascinating, right? And there are interesting reasons behind our preference for certain smells, which I discovered in an interview with Hanns Matt, a German biologist who has devoted over fifty years to olfactory research.
Unfortunately, the interview was in German, but I've summarised the key findings for you, my international friends.
Five facts about our personal scent preferences
It’s not genetic: Nothing smells the same to everyone. It is also influenced by upbringing and culture. The more you associate the experience with the smell, the stronger the bond.
Garlic mothers have garlic children: The foetus starts smelling the mother from the 27th week of pregnancy through the amniotic fluid. There is a saying that garlic mothers have garlic children, and numerous studies confirm this.
Retraining is possible: You can retrain your olfactory preferences, but it's harder if they're associated with strong emotions.
Beauty beats body odour? Chemistry may be guided by scent, but what if someone charming doesn't quite smell right? Psychologists are sure it's a deal-breaker at some point. They even say that if you start to dislike your partner's smell, it's over. Well, the body always knows.
Munich smells like sperm: Ha ha, my Bavarian friends, that is news, isn't it? But of course, it's not the whole city that smells like sperm. Hanns Matts is referring to beer gardens with lots of chestnut trees, which apparently smell a lot like sperm when in bloom. Sweet, slightly nutty... uuh, dirty Munich.
So next time I’m in Munich, you know where to find me… at the petrol station :)
—> Here is the interview in German: Der Tagesspiegel
🌊 Why I Still Feel the Waves of The Ocean in My Bed
Have you ever experienced this? You spend a wonderful day at the beach, go swimming in the sea and later, when you go to bed, you find that the waves are still rocking you to sleep? This happens to me every time I swim in the ocean. The movement of the waves just doesn't stop.
Hippie Dippie Kathi believes that she has absorbed the energy of the sea into her body, that she is whole and connected. Peace Man ✌️
But it's actually a real phenomenon known as 'mal de debarquement', which translates as 'disembarkation sickness', the feeling of still being in motion after getting off a boat - or, in cases like mine, stepping out of the sea.
„What scientists think is going on is that you have in your head a model of the world and how you are relating to it. In other words, if the world is moving, then you're modelling that movement and working out how to compensate for it either with movements of your head and eyes or your balance system so that you don't fall over. “
This explanation is obviously less sexy than my spiritual one, but well... science, what can you say?
Here is the article. The Naked Scientists
🌊 A Wavy Nightcap from Me to You 💙
On Thursday it's going back to good old Berlin. But instead of a fancy quote or another reading recommendation, I'm sending you a short wavy nightcap.
Cheers, Katie