How to master your sense of smell - Alexandra Horowitz

Prevodilac: Kristina Ivsic Lektor: Tijana Mihajlović

Proizvođači i prodavci parfema mogu da razlikuju zasebne note

Perfumers can learn to distinguish individual odors

in a fragrance made of hundreds of scents.

u mirisima koji su napravljeni od stotina nijansi.

Tea experts have been known to sniff out

Poznato je da eksperti za čaj mogu

da ustanove ne samo odakle potiče čaj,

not just the location where a tea was from,

but the season of harvest and whether it was planted by a plum tree.

nego i kada je čaj ubran i da li je bio posađen pored drveta šljive,

And the New York City Transit Authority

a u Njujorškoj tranzitnoj inspekciji

once had an employee responsible only for sniffing out gas leaks

nekada je postojao radnik odgovoran samo za utvrđivanje curenja goriva

in the subway system.

u sistemu podzemne železnice mirisom.

Can just anyone learn to smell with the sensitivity of those experts?

Da li svako može da nauči da oseća mirise uz osetljivost ovih stručnjaka?

For most of us, what we smell is largely involuntary,

Za većinu među nama, ono što mirišemo je prevashodno nehotično,

whether it's garbage behind a restaurant,

bilo da je smeće iza restorana,

the shampoo of the woman leaving an elevator as you enter,

šampon žene koja je izašla iz lifta dok ulazite

or a bakery's fresh-made bread.

ili miris svežeg hleba iz pekare.

With a few million olfactory receptors in our noses,

Sa nekoliko miliona mirisnih receptora u našem nosu,

we clearly don't lack the ability to smell well.

jasno je da nam ne nedostaje sposobnost da dobro osetimo miris.

We just might not always pay close enough attention.

Možda samo ne obraćamo uvek dovoljno pažnje.

That's a shame because we may be missing opportunities

Šteta je jer tako možda propuštamo mogućnosti

da stvorimo jake emotivne veze.

to make strong emotional connections.

Smells are powerfully linked to emotions

Mirisi su snažno povezani sa emocijama

and can awaken memories of places we've long ago left

i mogu pobuditi sećanja na mesta sa kojih smo odavno otišli

i na ljude koje smo voleli.

and people we've loved.

Srećom, moguće je istrenirati naš mozak da bolje upotrebi čulo mirisa.

But fortunately, it is possible to train our brains to smell better.

For example, Helen Keller was able to recognize a person's work,

Na primer, Helen Keler je mogla da prepozna zanimanje osobe

and in her words,

i, prema njenim rečima,

distinguish the carpenter from the iron worker,

da razlikuje stolara od radnika u čeličani,

the artist from the mason or the chemist,

umetnika od zidara ili hemičara

by a simple inhale.

jednostavnim udahom.

Follow these steps and you too can change the way the world smells to you.

Pratite ove korake i moći ćete

da promenite način na koji će vam svet mirisati.

First, stick your nose in it.

Prvo, zabodite nos u to.

Some animals that are known to be great smellers,

Neke životinje, poznate po dobrom čulu mirisa,

kao psi koji mogu da nanjuše eksploziv

like dogs who can sniff out explosives

and pigs who can find truffles underground,

i svinje koje mogu da pronađu tartufe pod zemljom,

put their noses right at the place they want to smell.

stave svoj nos tačno na mesto koje žele da onjuše.

Human noses, meanwhile, are casting around in the middle of the air,

U međuvremenu, ljudski nosevi nalaze su u vazduhu,

giving us an anatomical disadvantage.

stvarajući nam anatomsku prepreku.

So bring your nose close to the world around you.

Zato primaknite nos bliže svetu oko vas.

The ground,

Zemlji, površinama, predmetima, hrani u ruci.

surfaces,

objects,

the food in your hand.

Približite se svom psu, partneru, knjizi koju čitate.

Get close to your dog,

your partner,

the book you're reading.

Ne samo da će vaš nos biti bliži izvoru mirisa,

Not only will your nose be closer to the odor source,

but the warmth of your breath will make odors easier to smell.

nego će i toplina vašeg daha učiniti da bolje osetite miris.

Second, sniff like you mean it.

Drugo, pomirišite kao da stvarno to mislite.

Mirisanje se zapravo dešava gore, blizu mosta našeg nosa

Smelling actually happens way up near the bridge of our noses

in a postage stamp-sized square of tissue called the olfactory epithelium.

u četvrtastom tkivu veličine poštanske markice koje se zove mirisni epitel.

Kada pomirišemo, molekuli mirisa se usisavaju u naše nozdrve

When we sniff, odor molecules are sucked up into our nostrils

until they hit this tissue

dok ne udare u ovo tkivo

where they combine to our olfactory, or scent, receptors.

gde se lepe za naše olfaktorne ili mirisne receptore.

When we inhale normally, only a little air makes it there.

Kada normalno udišemo, samo malo vazduha dopre do tamo,

ali jedan ili dva dobra, jaka udaha kroz nos

But one or two solid sharp sniffs

will ensure that more air gets to your smell receptors.

omogućiće da više vazduha stigne do vaših mirisnih receptora.

Nakon samo nekoliko dodatnih udaha kroz nos,

After just a few more sniffs,

the receptors, which are best at noticing new smells,

receptori, koji najbolje primećuju nove mirise,

turn off temporarily.

privremeno se isključuju,

tako da možete odmoriti svoj nos i udahnuti ponovo kasnije.

So you can give your nose a rest and sniff again later.

Finally, dwell on the smell.

Na kraju, zadržite se na mirisu.

Most smells pass by us with little attention,

Većini mirisa oko nas ne posvećujemo mnogo pažnje,

but simply noticing what you're smelling

ali kada samo obratite pažnju na to što mirišete

and by trying to describe it, name it, and locate its source,

i kada pokušate to da opišete, imenujete i da locirate poreklo,

you can expand your vocabulary of smells.

možete da proširite svoj rečnik mirisa.

Kada se molekul mirisa poveže sa mirisnim receptorom,

When an odor molecule binds to a scent receptor,

on odašilje električni signal iz senzornog neurona

it sends an electrical signal from the sensory neurons

do olfaktornih lampica u našem mozgu.

to our brain's olfactory bulbs.

The signal then continues to other areas of the brain,

Ovaj signal zatim putuje do drugih delova mozga,

where it's integrated with taste,

gde se integriše sa ukusom, uspomenama, ili emotivnim informacijama

memory,

or emotional information

before registering to us as a smell.

pre nego što ga registrujemo kao miris.

FMRI research shows that the extra time spent focusing on scent

Istraživanja uz pomoć magnetne rezonance pokazuju da dodatno vreme koje provedemo

koncentrišući se na miris

changes the brain of experienced smellers.

menja mozak onih koji imaju iskustva u mirisanju.

For them, perceiving and imagining odors becomes more automatic

Za njih doživljavanje i zamišljanje mirisa postaje više automatsko

nego za one koji nisu eksperti.

than for non-experts.

To get started yourself, take ingredients from your kitchen:

Kako biste se upustili u ovo, zgrabite sastojke iz kuhinje -

začine, vanilu ili voće,

spices,

vanilla,

or fruit,

but never anything toxic.

ali nikada ništa otrovno.

Close your eyes and have someone bring them under your nose.

Zažmurite i zamolite nekoga da vam ih stavi pod nos.

Sniff and try to name the source.

Pomirišite i pokušajte da imenujete izvor.

Over time, you'll begin to appreciate nuances in familiar odors

Tokom vremena, počećete da razlikujete nijanse u poznatim mirisima

i da prepoznajete karakteristike novih i neobičnih mirisa.

and recognize characteristics of new and unusual smells.

The perfumer has practiced these steps enough to become an artist of odor,

Osoba koja pravi ili prodaje parfeme vežbala je ove korake

dovoljno da postane umetnik mirisa,

but even if you never pursue smelling to that degree,

ali čak iako nikada ne budete toliko uspešni,

the spectacular result of an unspectacular action

spektakularni rezultat nespektakularne radnje

will change how you sense and experience your days.

promeniće način na koji osećate i doživljavate dane.