Taste: A Somatic Sensation
Taste is fundamentally a somatic sensation, meaning a sense of touch. When we discuss taste, we're essentially referring to the tactile sensations involving pressure, density, and friction within our mouths. For example, when tannins precipitate proteins to the tongue's surface, thereby creating friction and abrasion, this is recognized as astringency. Continue »
Be the first to comment on this postThe Importance of Olfaction: More Than Just a Sense
Smell, or olfaction, is integral to our survival strategy, playing a vital role in identifying prey or predator, ensuring safety in the things we consume, and in the identification of family or stranger. Smell is unique in its neurological processing from other senses, having a more direct pathway from the receptor site (nasal cavity) to the frontal cortex, and by engaging the “limbic system” which integrates emotion with the related senses thereby creating a bidirectional connection between the smell stimuli and our emotional state. Because of this, smells can elicit such complex feelings such as happiness or sadness, a profound power for a seemingly incidental feature. Continue »
Jul 24, 2024 at 12:00 AM
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We Eat With Our Eyes
The Intricacies of Visual and Olfactory Integration Continue »