Smoking Painters Have Better Sense of Smell Than Non-Smokers

Scientific research has proven that smoking seriously weakens the sense of smell (and therefore the sense of taste).

Effects of Smoking on the Sense of Smell

Receptor Damage: Chemicals in cigarette smoke directly damage the olfactory receptors (olfactory neurons) inside the nose. This raises the threshold for perceiving smells; meaning a stronger stimulus is needed to detect a smell.
Connection to Taste: When the sense of smell weakens, food also starts to taste “bland.” This is why people who quit smoking often say, “I started tasting food again.”
Recovery Process: The good news is that the sense of smell is not permanently lost. After quitting smoking, the nerve endings inside the nose begin to renew themselves, and the sense of smell gradually returns to its former sharpness.

Although smoking normally dulls the sense of smell, for painters, the situation works as follows:
1. Solvent Exposure: Painters constantly inhaling solvents (thinner, turpentine, etc.) from paints while working at the easel leads to serious disorders in their smell perception.
2. Masking Role of Smoking: In smoking painters, smell perception is in a much better state compared to non-smokers.
3. Nicotine and Smell Interaction: The reason for this situation is shown as the smell of tobacco (especially the nicotine within it) masking the smell of solvents.
4. Delaying Molecular Absorption: It is suggested that nicotine acts as a delaying agent for the absorption of other volatile molecules like solvents by the body, thereby protecting the olfactory receptors to a certain extent.
5. Effect on the Nervous System: Long-term exposure to the smell of substances like thinner and burnt rubber is stated not only to impair the sense of smell but also to have destructive effects on the nervous system.

Solvent vs. Smoking: “Escaping the Greater Harm”

The main thing that destroys the sense of smell is not smoking, but the solvents (thinner, turpentine, etc.) they inhale with paints. The reasons why smoking painters are in a better situation are listed as follows:
1. Masking Effect: The smell of tobacco masks the sharp, acrid smell of paints and solvents. In this way, the nose is exposed slightly less to the direct and constant damage of the solvent.
2. Nicotine’s Delaying Role: Nicotine delays the body’s absorption of other volatile molecules (solvents). In other words, nicotine acts as a barrier between olfactory receptors and solvent molecules, preventing the nerve endings from being completely burnt out.
3. Comparison Difference: The expression “better” here does not mean that smokers have an excellent sense of smell. It simply means that the sense of smell of a non-smoking painter exposed to solvents with an unprotected nose suffers much more severe and destructive damage compared to their smoking colleague.

Conclusion: Non-Smoking Painters’ Senses Are in Worse Condition

In summary, the situation is that the noses of smokers are not “super”; rather, the noses of non-smoking painters are in a much worse condition due to solvents.
1. Destructive Effect of Solvents: Painters experience severe smell perception disorders because they constantly inhale solvents (thinner, turpentine, etc.) from paints.
2. Vulnerability of Non-Smokers: Non-smoking painters are directly exposed to these pungent solvent smells, causing their olfactory receptors to be damaged more quickly.
3. Protective Filter Role of Smoking: In smokers, the smell of tobacco and nicotine mask the sharp smell of the solvent and delay the absorption of these molecules by the body.
4. Final Result: Thanks to this “masking,” the smell perception of smoking painters remains in a much better state compared to their non-smoking colleagues who have no defense against these heavy chemicals.

In ancient times, many famous painters (such as Picasso, Dalí) were photographed smoking pipes or cigarettes, leading smoking to be perceived as part of the artist’s “aura.” Some artists might think that the short-term dopamine boost provided by smoking helps with focus, but this has nothing to do with sharpening the senses.

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