Would you rather...

Not be able to taste

Not be able to smell

Taste or Smell

Oct 4, 2009

VintageSacrifices

Community arguments

Not be able to taste

Smell accounts for most of what we perceive as flavor, so keeping smell preserves the majority of your food enjoyment
Without taste aversion you can freely eat any healthy food regardless of how it would otherwise taste
Smell is tied to memory, emotion, and detecting hazards in ways that pure taste is not, making it the more valuable sense to keep

Not be able to smell

Many people already live with a diminished sense of smell due to allergies or chronic congestion and manage perfectly well
Taste is the direct sensory pleasure of eating; losing it turns every meal into a purely mechanical act of fueling yourself
The link between smell and taste means either choice affects your food experience, but taste is the more immediate pleasure

Last generated Jun 29, 2026.

Comments

Would you rather...

Not be able to taste

Not be able to smell