Wouldn’t you be too?
Not having a sense of smell would suck! We totally feel for these people!
A new study has found that people born without a sense of smell experience higher social insecurity and are at increased risk of depression.
And guess what: more people than you think have it. Try 14 million Americans suffering from Anosmia!
So why does this happen?
Those with anosmia have more to worry about: their odor, what they’re eating, their breath, all of it. If you can’t tell those things, how can you be expected to be social, right?
Here’s what one woman said:
“People will ask me if I like the smell of their perfume or ask me if I can smell something that they are smelling and I cannot relate to what they are talking about. I cannot smell if something is on fire. I cannot smell if I have bad breath or body odor. All of these things are dangerous, or can be offensive, to me and others around me.”
Here’s what another person said:
“People talk about how smells can nostalgically bring you back to childhood. I don’t have memories of how my grandma’s house used to smell or anything like that. Smell is the strongest trigger of memory they say, and I guess I missed that, but otherwise, it’s one of those things that I’ve never known any other way.”
That’s horrible, we can’t even imagine how life would be like that.
And we’re so sorry for those who have to go through it.
If it’s bringing on depression, ALWAYS talk to someone — even if they can’t exactly relate, it’s better than keeping it all bottled up!
[Image via AP Images.]
