Olfactory Dreams: Phenomenology, Relationship to Volitional Imagery and Odor Identification
Imagination Cognition and Personality September 1, 2004 Richard J. Stevenson, Trevor I. Case 26 citations
Olfactory dreams—smelling in dreams—are uncommon but real, brief, and emotionally charged, resembling everyday odors. People who report such dreams are better at identifying real odors, an effect not explained by motivation or attention. The findings suggest that olfactory imagery exists but its occurrence depends on the strength of connections between olfactory and semantic memory, which are typically weak in olfaction.