What is your experience with odor and memories?

This morning when I walked into a part of my office, a smell hit my nose and I got hit with an instant, powerful memory of the library in my elementary school – a place I probably haven’t thought about in nearly 30 years.

Strong memories and/or emotions triggered by smells are fairly common for me, but will often come in waves. This has been happening more frequently lately. It has me wondering this morning, however, how much of this activity is happening unconsciously. How much of my experience is colored by an odor that triggers an emotional response or association that then influences how I respond in a particular situation?

Is this fairly common? And have you found that you’re able to recognize these associations or memories more easily sometimes?