Page 3 - Polite-yawning_manual for SLPs

THE ROLE OF THE SENSE OF SMELL/OLFACTIONOlfaction is an important sense for various aspects of daily life:• It signals danger, such as fire, gas, spoiled food, and unpleasant body odors.• It plays a role in digestion and saliva production, and odorous substancesstimulate gastric and intestinal secretions.• Odors perceived through the olfactory organ can influence a person’s mood.• Sexual behavior, e.g. sexual lust, expression of emotions, and changes in theendocrine system, is influenced by odors.• The sense of smell plays a role in remembrance and thereby also in aperson’s learning capabilities.• Taste is mainly determined by the sense of smell. If olfaction is disturbed,taste is also considerably impaired.