Here's why the smell of pumpkin spice moves us, according to science

The appeal of pumpkin spice has a lot to do with how we associate smells and flavors with fall — despite the fact that the flavoring doesn't contain any actual pumpkin.

Transcript

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

OK. Did you know? Today is National Pumpkin Day, which means - love it or hate it - pumpkin-spiced everything is everywhere.

NOEL KING, HOST:

What is behind this? Jason Fischer, a professor at Johns Hopkins, says a big part of it is how we associate smells and flavors with fall.

JASON FISCHER: Those associations - they form year after year. They also give us this sense of familiarity. And so, you know, when you start to smell the pumpkin-spice things in the stores again, it gives you a little feeling of nostalgia.

MARTIN: Nostalgia or, in my case, a little bit of nausea. I don't like pumpkin, but apparently, that shouldn't matter.

FISCHER: It doesn't actually have any pumpkin in it. But, you know, it's just a great example of how the associations that are attached to an odor can really determine a lot of how we experience it.

KING: No pumpkin in pumpkin spice. Things like nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice, in fact, deliver the goods. Our brains can sometimes even be tricked into identifying the wrong smell, like mistaking pumpkin spice for apple pie.

FISCHER: You could take those same spices, and you could put different labels on them and make the experience kind of different because you're calling up different sets of associations, as well. And again, that's your brain kind of filling in the gaps.

MARTIN: All right. So if you love pumpkin spice, sure, lean into it. But you could also just drink a regular cup of coffee and light a candle that smells like pine.

(SOUNDBITE OF VINCE GUARALDI TRIO'S "GREAT PUMPKIN WALTZ") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.