Well THAT's an odd sensory moment

[drwex]

Taking off my over-ear headphones seems to improve my sense of smell.

The latter is never very good (lifelong allergies have pretty much destroyed my ability to smell anything but the strongest odors) but I can't begin to fathom what would cause this particular sensory conjunction.

Comments

[caulay.livejournal.com]

Easy, the headphones are reducing/blocking the air that moves from your sinuses through the Eustation tubes, so when you have them off, more air moves through your head.

[drwex]

An entirely logical and illusion-destroying explanation. I like that.

[taura-g.livejournal.com]

Because there is air moving through the Eustacian tubes from your sinuses to your ears. When you have headphones on, you are blocking that airflow and reducing the efficiency of your nose.

[taura-g.livejournal.com]

Oops, got beaten to the punchline. ;-)

[gsh]

How much earwax did you say was built up on them anyway? :)

[ckd]

It might also be some sort of weird acupressure/reflexology analogue.

[imvfd.livejournal.com]

Now would those headphones be pouring sensory information into your head in the form of music or spoken words? Because there's this crazy thing about the human brain: limited RAM. I've been working on an upgrade but that project is composed of Fail and if anything I'm regressing.

The whole Eustation tube thing, I don't buy it. If air moves so freely through it, your ears would never "pop" with change in pressure. Plus how much of a seal are these headphones making?

The pressure point idea has some merit, in that the headphones may be making some muscles contract at the base of your nose reducing airflow (a little) but mostly changing how air actually moves around in your sinus.

But, as a brain person, I'm going to cast my vote for sensory overload (and yes I'm aware that the olfactory can bypass the thalamus unlike the other senses).