Our sense of smell plays a vital role in how we enjoy food, stay safe in daily life, and experience emotions. Despite its importance, it often goes unnoticed. It can decline with age, ENT-related conditions, or illnesses like COVID-19.

We refer to this decline as olfactory frailty and believe it deserves recognition as a new public health issue.

The Olfactory Frailty Society is an interdisciplinary platform where researchers from fields like medicine, nursing, neuroscience, physiology, biomedical engineering, and the arts come together to advance research, evaluation, training, and public education on the sense of smell.

Caring for your sense of smell isn’t just important for older adults. It matters at every age.

With the slogan “Healthy noses, happy lives,” we aim to combine science and creativity to support better health and quality of life for everyone.

Through the following activities, the Olfactory Frailty Society works to improve health and quality of life for all:

• Promoting research and investigation

• Organizing academic talks, workshops, and seminars

• Sharing information and raising awareness

• Building partnerships with related organizations and companies in Japan and abroad

Chair

Yuriko Sugihara (Professor, Department of Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Doshisha Women’s College of Liberal Arts / Gerontological Nursing)

Vice Chairs (in alphabetical order)

Yoko Iwasaki (Professor, Department of Fine Arts, Kyoto Saga Junior College of Arts / Aesthetics, Philosophy, Olfactory Art)

Takaki Miwa (Professor Emeritus, Faculty of Medicine, Kanazawa Medical University / Otorhinolaryngology)

Board Members (in alphabetical order)

William Ross Hall (Associate Professor, Department of Fine Arts, Faculty of Art, Kyoto Saga University of Arts / Media Art)

Takuyo Hayashi (Lecturer, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Aino University / Applied Information Science, Engineering)

Hiroyuki Manabe (Associate Professor, Faculty of Medicine, Nara Medical University / Neurophysiology)

Mitsuo Tonoike (Visiting Professor, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University / Neuroscience, Biomedical Engineering)

Emi Yamagata (Associate Professor, Department of Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Doshisha Women’s College / Gerontological Nursing)

How often do you think about your own sense of smell?

We’re used to talking about eyesight and hearing, but there’s no everyday term for our ability to smell. Most people have never had their sense of smell tested and rarely think about it in daily life.

But our sense of smell is closely tied to our quality of life, our safety, and our emotional wellbeing.

Not noticing a gas leak, smoke, or spoiled food, losing your appetite or sense of taste, or no longer enjoying the scent of flowers or fruit are all everyday consequences of a weakened sense of smell.

Smell is also deeply connected to memory and emotion. A familiar scent can suddenly bring back vivid memories. Many people have experienced this kind of response, often called the “Proust effect,” which shows how strongly scent can affect the mind.

Recent research also suggests that losing your sense of smell may be linked to a higher risk of dementia and even a shorter lifespan. Despite this, public awareness and support systems are still limited.

We established this society to recognize olfactory frailty as a serious health concern and to take action across a range of fields.

One unique feature of our society is the diversity of our members. Alongside specialists in medicine, nursing, neuroscience, physiology, and biomedical engineering, we also include researchers from aesthetics and media art. In olfactory training, for example, the ability to imagine scents is essential. This is where art can play an important role.

We are committed to advancing scientific research, developing new evaluation methods, promoting prevention and care, and sharing knowledge with communities across generations.

Olfactory frailty doesn’t just affect the elderly. It can also result from modern issues like long COVID or hay fever. That’s why we believe this is something everyone should care about.

Our slogan is:

Healthy noses, happy lives ~ La Vie en Nose

Taking care of your sense of smell can make life richer and more enjoyable.

We look forward to sharing this journey with you.