Most avid readers, like me, have a common ritual: we buy a book and, as soon as we are alone (so as not to run the risk of appearing strange in the eyes of others), we smell it. We turn its pages and the aroma that reaches us makes us feel good. Only after we have soaked in its smell, as if it were an intimate ritual, are we ready to start reading. However, have you ever wondered why we like the smell of a new book?
What’s behind the smell of a new book?
Although we are all able to detect the smell of a new book, the truth is that not all books smell the same because there are hundreds of compounds involved. However, our brain is able to overlook these “subtleties” and capture their essence. In fact, studies carried out in the field of olfactory perception have shown that although most of the smells we perceive on a daily basis are composed of different aromas, we perceive them as a single smell, and that is the one we label.
Thus, what we know as the “smell of a new book” comes from three main sources: the paper and the chemicals used in its manufacture, the inks used to print the book and the glue needed for binding. The curious thing is that both the ink and the glue and even the compounds used to give the paper a whiter colour are very volatile. This mixture is the aroma that reaches us and what we have named the “smell of a new book”.
The curious thing is that over time, many of these organic compounds begin to decompose through a process of “acid hydrolysis”, which is why the paper takes on a yellowish tone and becomes more fragile. This creates what we all know as the “old book smell”, an aroma that many people are also fascinated by but which is undoubtedly very different from the original.
Why do we like the smell of a new book?
At the base of our fascination with the smell of new books we find two essential aspects that determine the way in which we process different aromas:
– Extremely polarized tastes. First of all, it is important to know that when it comes to aromas, we react in a very visceral way. That is, we go to extremes and classify smells as pleasant or unpleasant, with no middle ground. This is a remnant of our ancestors and a connection with the animal world, since in nature, the sense of smell is a very important weapon for survival. In fact, if you think about it carefully, you will realize that we often prioritize olfactory signals over visual ones, and if we do not like the smell of a food, we will tend to reject it even if its appearance is attractive.
– Eminently emotional processing. Smells induce emotional reactions without the stimulus needing to be processed by consciousness. Basically, the smell is processed in the limbic system, it does not reach the neocortex, which triggers a more intense reaction since we simply feel, not think. That is why, when you are walking and suddenly perceive a familiar smell, you can be transported to a past experience and experience it more clearly than if someone told you about it. In fact, several studies have shown that smells are the fastest way to awaken the most intense sensations.
What does all this mean?
It means that we like the smell of a new book simply because we have associated it with a pleasurable experience and when we smell it, these sensations are reactivated. For an avid reader, the smell of a new book is not just a scent, it represents an experience, a story to discover and, above all, the expectation of moments of great satisfaction reading its pages.
At some point in our lives, we associate the smell of a new book with positive reading experiences or even with the pleasure of purchasing and owning the work. This connection then became automated so that when we smell a book, we associate this scent with something positive, activating the same reward mechanisms that might be present when we smell a food we like or when a scent brings back a pleasant memory from the past.
In fact, a curious study carried out in the United States found that people buy and read books for many reasons, but 2% of them indicated that the physical properties of the book, such as its texture and smell, are fundamental to the reading experience. It is therefore not surprising that approximately 16% of those surveyed responded that they preferred books to e-books, since the latter do not convey the same sensations.
References:
Redolar, D. et. Al. (2013) Neurociencia Cognitiva. Madrid: Editorial Médica Panamericana.
Rainie, L. et. Al. (2012) The rise of e-reading. In: Pew Research Center.
Lattuati, A.; Bonnassies, S. & Lavédrine, B. (2004) Identification of volatile organic compounds emitted by a naturally aged book using solid-phase microextraction/gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Journal of Chromatography; 1026(1-2): 9-18.
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