Our sense of smell is often a second thought, not something that we really give a lot of credit to when thinking about quality of life.

But it matters, it matters a lot. Not just in a practical or keeping us safe kind of way. In a way that adds enjoyment and quality to our lives.

We so often say ‘oh that smells lovely’ when we smell something we like. Maybe freshly baked bread, a bunch of newly cut flowers, rich melted chocolate, or our favourite fragrance. We smell things, intentionally, or just in passing, that add a sprinkle of positivity to our day.

Scent can make us feel happy, curious and remind us of good times.

But as well as it being nice and bringing a bit of joy to our daily lives, smelling stuff is also really good for our brains.

Sarah knows this, and this is why she teaches perfumery. She runs her regular workshops in her studio and out and about, but she also gives talks about perfumery and runs classes for local groups including carers, retired women, business women, translators, and the WI.

Building and strengthening pathways in our brains is a way to keep our brain healthy as we age. There’s a lot of new research on how older people could do interesting activities to help stop or reduce our brains’ effectiveness. Of course, this is important, but there’s no reason to wait until you get your bus pass to look after your brain. However old you are today, it is the right age to start.

Ideally, we’d all have started and maintained habits that improve the quality of our lives in childhood, however, that’s not how things usually go. That’s OK, but let's not put it off any longer.

We’re giving you permission to smell things. Whenever you can, just give things a sniff and try to work out what they are, what’s in them, what they remind you of. Give your brain a good stretch.

Sarah loves making and teaching others to make perfume. She enjoys demonstrating that it doesn’t need to be as complicated as it’s often made out to be, and that it’s possible to just give it a go.

However, something Sarah cares about just as much, if not more than making fragrances, is the actual power of scent.

After 30 years working with aromas, she has come to believe that scent can improve our brain health and quality of life. She was delighted to discover new research from South Korea that shows how smelling 40 aromas twice a day and learning to identify them helps to stimulate all parts of the brain. That’s quite a task, but if you stop and sniff everything you encounter from pencils to plants, skin creams to sweets, it helps to tone up your brain.

Sarah is exploring ways to introduce this habit to the wider world.

There are hundreds of ways to tone your mental muscles. You could learn a new instrument, a language or a sport; all these options are good for your brain, but today we’re encouraging you to take up the habit of smelling things. Really smelling them.

You have to get closer. Some things do have an aroma but it doesn’t project far. Don’t feel self-conscious about sticking your head in a shrub, or bringing your soup spoon right up to your nose before redirecting it to your mouth. As time passes, you’ll get better, you’ll flex your brain too.