While it's commonly believed that our sense of smell declines with age, the age with the best sense of smell is actually during our childhood.
Children are more sensitive to smells than adults. This is because their olfactory bulb, the part of the brain responsible for processing smells, is still developing and has a higher density of olfactory receptors.
As we age, the number of olfactory receptors in our nose decreases, and the olfactory bulb shrinks. This leads to a decline in our ability to detect and identify smells.
This decline is not uniform across all smells. Some smells, like those associated with food, are more easily detected than others, like those associated with perfumes or flowers.
Additionally, factors like smoking, exposure to environmental pollutants, and certain medical conditions can also affect our sense of smell.
While our sense of smell may decline with age, it's important to note that this decline is gradual and varies from person to person.
