Words and scents: How language shapes and skews olfactory processing

Research on language and olfaction presents a paradox. Language appears to support the formation of odor categories, yet it can also hinder odor recognition through verbal interference, highlighting that different olfactory processes get affected in distinct ways. The question, then, is not about whether language and odor processing in humans are inevitably linked, but about understanding the circumstances under which language either promotes or hinders olfactory processing, particularly in the domains of odor categorization and memory. To unmask the nature of this delicate balance, this article reviews empirical studies that point to a verbal enhancement of forming new odor categories and contextualizes it alongside experimental outcomes showing how odor memories can get verbally skewed. Findings from both angles are nested within prominent theories including attribute differentiation, dual coding, ad hoc cognition and attentional tuning. The research reviewed here sits at the crossroads of language and olfaction. It offers fresh insights into how language scaffolds the organization of the mind, and it also outlines promising directions for future research. The main aim is to bring together two contrasting strands of research to investigate how language both facilitates and disrupts olfactory processing. The designs of studies in this article were inspired by Asifa Majid’s outstanding contributions to cognitive science and honor her dedication to community building, particularly in exploring how diverse linguistic and cultural contexts affect olfactory cognition.