What are the seven primary smells that humans are able to smell?

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1038572

2026-08-04 17:15

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A scientist named Amoore supposedly discovered 7 primary smells.

In reality, there are no primary smells because no consistent relationship has ever been found and replicated between chemical structure and smell perception. For instance, two chemicals that have similar structures may smell very similar or very different. In addition, two chemicals with very different structures may smell very similar or very different.

Further, smell undergoes much top-down interference via verbal labels and visual cues. For instance, you can confuse wine experts by coloring white wines red.

In sum, the idea of 7 primary smells is unfounded and only supported by Amoore's findings. Look up experts such as Stevenson, Wilson, and any others you can find on any legitimate online database such as JSTOR.

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