Losing your sense of smell and rediscovering your senses
«We should talk about ‘alteration’ of the sense of smell, rather that “loss”: the loss sanctions a void, while alteration opens to transformation, a perspective of change that can appear frightening, but which is also (re) discovery.»

There are those who cannot smell from birth, those who perceive odours in an altered way and those who have lost their sense of smell due to an accident or an infection, as in the case of Covid-19. These people are not few: they are about the 5 percent of the world’s population, a percentage that rises to about 20 percent above the age of 60, and exceeds 60 percent from 70 years onwards. Yet they go unnoticed. Scent of nothing discusses that absence, the link between the sense of smell and our habits, but from the perspective of those who cannot smell. What do we lose when we lose our sense of smell? What does it feel like? Is it realistic to think about prosthetic sniffers? And do olfactory training kits really work? Combining scientific studies, individual stories, and small sensory exercises, Anna D’Errico offers essential, understandable information for those who, living in a world without smell, may feel lost or scared. At the same time, she reveals how our perceptual system is more complex and integrated than we imagine, showing us the importance of an ancient and still mysterious sense.

Anna D’Errico is a neuroscientist, science popularizer and performer. Specializing in olfaction and neural circuits, since 2010 she has been studying the olfactory component in art and performance and develops projects of olfactory art, training and dissemination. Her Instagram account is @il_senso_ perfetto and her website is neurosmellist.com. Her first book, Il senso perfetto. Mai sottovalutare il naso (Codice edizioni, 2019), made the podium at the 2020 Premio Galileo for popular science books.