Flavor and Smell

     Learning about people who have lost their ability to smell really surprised me.  Up until reading this book I would have been one of those people who kind of thought that loosing your sense of smell wouldn't be all that serious.  I always thought that if I had to lose one sense I would choose to lose my sense of smell, because I would want to see the faces of those I love, would want to hear their voices, would want to touch them, and would never want to loose my ability to taste Indian food.  After gaining an understanding of how our senses work integratively to deliver us our perception of the world, I now realize that losing your sense of smell still effects social relationships, can be detrimental to your safety, and you still end up not being able to taste the flavor of your beloved food.  It's kind of a rip off, really, because in losing your smell you also lose 80% of your flavor receptors!  So in reality, you are really dealing with a loss of two senses, dramatically impacting many facets of your day to day life.