The olfactory bulb, or the part of the brain that receives and interprets scents and odors, is part of the brain's limbic system. The limbic system is closely associated with memory. The olfactory bulb also deals a lot with the amygdala, the part of the brain that processes many types of emotions, along with the hippocampus, which is responsible for associative learning.
When you first smell something, you link it to something almost instantaneously, whether it be a person, place, event, etc. This link is forged between the smell you encounter, along with a memory. Many people associate chlorine with summers at the pool, or the smell of lilies with a funeral. This is why smelling chlorine in the winter can instantly remind you of a pool, or being near lilies can upset a person for seemingly no reason.
JT Surge
Bibliography:
http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/human-biology/smell3.htm
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