Episode Details

Adults with ADHD often smell just as well as anyone else, yet brain imaging reveals their olfaction-associated regions handle those signals differently. This episode examines whether kitchen aromas like brewing coffee can hijack focus the same way background noise does. From the contested clinical status of sensory processing disorder and sensory over-responsivity to the changing-state effect in serial recall, the evidence shows why a brewing pot of coffee might cause punctuation and sequencing errors—even when the nose itself is working fine. Key sources: • Wikipedia, Sensory processing disorder, last edited 2026-10-31 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensory_processing_disorder • Kamath MS, Dahm CR, Tucker JR et al., Sensory profiles in adults with and without ADHD, *Research in Developmental Disabilities*, 2020, PMID 32526674 — https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32526674/ • Fabio RA, Orsino C, Lecciso F et al., Atypical sensory processing in adolescents with ADHD, *Research in Developmental Disabilities*, 2024, PMID 38306842 — https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38306842/ Episode 6545 — myweirdprompts.com/n/6545 (permanent short link: myweirdprompts.com/311982) Listen on Android: MWP FM Player — myweirdprompts.com/apk