THE SHOWDOWN BETWEEN IN-PERSON AND CYBERSPACE RELATIONSHIPS:
NOSES AND TONGUES
The scent of perfume, hair, clothes, skin. Smell brings us very close
to the other. It stirs up powerful emotional reactions. The sense of
taste brings us closer still. It's the sensation of lovers. One might say
that smell and taste are rather "primitive" interpersonal sensations, but
both are the cornerstones of deep intimacy -- maybe because they ARE so
primitive, so fundamental. In addition to touch, smell and taste are
the primary ways an infant connects to its mother. It is one's very
first, essential relationship that serves as the prototype for all later
relationships in one's life.
On this level of relating, a CSR once again falls flat on its
noseless, tongueless face. Will computers ever be able to duplicate smells and
tastes and then accurately transmit those sensations to another person
hundreds and thousands of miles away?... Don't hold your breath.
As with tactile sensations, when it comes to the smelling/tasting
dimension of intimate relationships, IPR wins hands down over CSR.
09/13/98
John Suler, PhD, is Professor of Psychology
at Rider University and a practicing clinical psychologist. He has published
on psychotherapy, mental imagery, and eastern philosophy. He currently maintains
several web sites.
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