Lilac....even the word stimulates an emotional response. Our perception of scent is more than our likes and dislikes of the scent itself. Smells evoke an emotional response...images of lilac fields, and memories tied to that scent are deeply infused in your brain giving you a unique experience. One person's perception of a scent can be very different than another persons experience.
Even as I am writing this blog early in the morning coffee is brewing in the house. The aromas are teasing my nose and all I can think about is how amazing that first sip will be. Images of roasting coffee beans flash before my eyes, and I am practically overwhelmed with sensory sensations.
Your experience with scents is unique. Sometimes you can have a bad emotional response to a scent. I don't want to embarrass a friend here so I won't name any names, but we know of someone who had a night of heavy drinking. The next morning they started their morning routines, shaved and got out their favorite aftershave. As soon as they splashed it on they became sick, and ever since then they can't be around someone who uses that aftershave. The scent of that aftershave is wonderful, but for this individual it triggers an emotional response that is negative.
According to “The Smell Report” by Kate Fox of MCM Research, “Our olfactory receptors are directly connected to the limbic system, the most ancient and primitive part of the brain, which is thought to be the seat of emotion. Smell sensations are relayed to the cortex, where ‘cognitive’ recognition occurs, only after the deepest parts of our brains have been stimulated. Thus, by the time we correctly name a particular scent as, for example, ‘vanilla’ , the scent has already activated the limbic system, triggering more deep-seated emotional responses.”
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