Although the temperatures are not quite favorable yet, many of us living in the northern hemisphere are already immersed in mood autumn. Pumpkin spice, dried leaf decorations, pumpkins and candles everywhere, lots of candles. Really, any time is a good time to light a candle, but the onset of cold weather seems to have renewed the desire to do so. There are all types: with fragrance, without it, larger, smaller, colored, white or with sparkles. Even electric! But the truth is that the people who gain the most fame, especially at this time of year, are wooden wickbecause we can hear them cracklealmost as if we were next to a fire.
Not everyone has the opportunity to have fireplace at home, but anyone can buy a candle with a wooden wick. In both cases we will hear a relaxing crackling sound, although only at the beginning.
But apart from how long it takes, have you ever wondered why wood crackles? This is a good question to answer now that change of season.
The key to cod is in the water
Apart from candles, if we sit next to a fireplace, we will see that the wood tends to crackle even more if the wood has been wet. This is because this sound is actually caused by the water and juice flowing through it turning into steam when heated.
Initially this steam it’s expanding through the interior of the wood, but when it finds a way out, it is released, causing small explosion. In the case of candles, we do not have freshly collected wet firewood. But the truth is that all wood contains some moisture inside. Although we cannot see it with the naked eye, it contains very fine pores with some water inside.
But the same thing happens with the candle wick as with fire logs. At first we will only hear its crackling sound, as there comes a moment when there is no more water left inside. Either way, the situation is still relaxing and worth it just for those first splashes we love so much.
Why do candles relax us so much?
Candle relaxation has an important part of suggestion, but also some science. There are many pseudoscience around the candles. Now we can also find an explanation for some of the factors that make us feel more relaxed when we turn them on.
On the one hand, if this aroma candles, They may be of some benefit to us. Both with and without a wooden wick. Aromatherapy is quite pseudoscientific. But it’s true that some scents can evoke memories that make us feel good out of pure nostalgia. Even gasoline.
Smell is the only sense that is not processed through thalamus. That is, external signals are not first analyzed before reaching the brain, but are sent directly to it. In fact, they are mainly processed through olfactory bulba complex of nerves concentrated especially close to amygdala and hippocampus. These are the areas of the brain involved in processing emotions and memory. Therefore, smell can easily bring back memories associated with an emotion. Be careful: emotions can be both good and bad. This is why we must choose our scents well.
Many companies are already playing with this, looking for scents that reproduce moments: reading a book, watching a movie with a blanket on the sofa, a walk in the forest, the smell of hanging clothes… By playing with all this, we can look for the scents that bring us the most nostalgia.
As for the flame, whether we hear it crackling or not, some psychologists use its observation for practice. full attention. This is usually done by concentrating on an object, but is often done with the help of a candle flame, the movement of which can be relaxing. There is also a crackling sound, something similar to aromas. If we have wonderful memories by the fireplace, it probably takes us back to them.
However, this does not mean that anxiety, depression or any other condition, mental or physical, can be cured by scents or the sound of a candle crackling. And not next to the fireplace. It’s just nice. Very nice for some people. It’s worth enjoying it and knowing how it happens, but not thinking it’s anything medicinal.
Source: Hiper Textual
