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"Scents can have positive effects on mood, stress reduction, sleep enhancement, self-confidence, and physical and cognitive performance," says Theresa Molnar, executive director of the Sense of Smell Institute, the research and educational arm of the perfume industry's Fragrance Foundation. By becoming more aware of the way specific odors affect you personally, you may be able to enhance your health and well-being. Memory's Muse An odor has no personal significance until it becomes connected to something that has meaning, Herz says. With your initial encounter, you begin forming nerve connections that intertwine the smell with emotions. The capacities for both smell and emotion are rooted in the same network of brain structures, the limbic system. The olfactory center also interacts directly with the hippocampus, a brain area involved in the formation of new memories. "No other senses have this kind of deep access," Herz says. On a practical level, that means that you may be able to use your sense of smell to prompt your memory when taking a test. Herz's research suggests that your ability to recall information may be improved by inhaling an odor you breathed while absorbing information�so fire up a stick of incense while studying, then bring a vial of that aroma's essential oil to a big test. You also can use smells to evoke a loved one during periods apart. Herz suggests sniffing a reminder of that individual�perhaps a used T-shirt or the person's cologne. "A smell reminder can really conjure the person, more than just looking at a photo," she says. "You actually get the feeling of the person from the smell."