I read something a while back that asserted that of the 5 senses, smell was most closely tied to the parts of the brain that provide memory recall. I certainly am not familiar with the scientific specifics of it, but I remembered doubting it at the time.
Maybe I just haven't come across that many smells that really took me back, but it's always seemed to me that my sense of hearing was the sense that brought back not the most memories, but definitely the most specific. To a degree it includes hearing peoples voices, especially my mother saying certain phrases, but most specifically it seems music brings back the most vivid memories. Hearing certain songs puts me right back to various points in my life where I seem to recall very specific details such as; how old I was, where I was, who I was with, what I was wearing, etc. I don't really know why, but the song `Dirty Laundry` by Don Henley seems to bring back the most details. If I think hard enough about it I could probably come up with a reason, but at this point in my life (22 years later), I don't know how valid that reason would be. As an example; the night that Dirty Laundry takes me back to was the night of the first dance I went to. I don't know that it being the first dance I went to is that momentous, but on that night I also met the girl with whom I would lose my virginity with, although that happened several months after the dance.
What about all you out there? Is there a particular sense that most often takes you back vividly? A certain smell? An article of clothing? A song?
