A long time ago someone told me that you sense of smell is more sensitive when you’re in a quiet environment.
Yeah, right!
So in an idle moment recently the idea popped into my head and I decided to try it out. So I sniffed (mango) with the stereo on, and then with it off. Sure enough, the mango bouquet seemed stronger in the quiet. I gave it several tries, and results were the same each time.
I didn’t try smell in light v dark, but I did try touch in quiet v noisey, and touch did indeed seem more sensitive in the quiet.
Not at all scientific, I know. So, is there any scientific evidence to verify my puny little experiment?
The idea does kinda make sense.
Peace,
mangeorge
I think it has more to do with the number of signals your brain is trying to process at any given moment. The less information your brain has to sort through allows your brain to do a better job at processing the information it is given.
I think you are more able to process and register stimuli when you detect them in isolation, without all the ‘noise’ of other stimuli vying for your attention; I doubt that your senses are actually stronger.
Well, yes. that’s effectively the same thing though, isn’t it? I dunno.
Reminds me of anti-pot people claiming that food doesn’t really taste better when you’re high, you just think it does. 
No, I think there really is a difference. Let’s saying you’re walking through the downtown of a large city. In situation 1, it’s daytime and there’s a lot of noise coming from buses, the sun is shining in your eye, and there’s diesel exhaust pumping in your face. In situation 2, it’s very dark, there’s hardly any noise, and you can’t smell anything. In which one of these situations would you be more likely to notice someone screaming? Obviously the second one, but it’s not because your sense of hearing is any stronger per se, it’s just that it stands much more in contrast because there are no competitive stimuli. I don’t think I’m making a semantic argument here.
Oh, no. Nothing like that. Maybe I should have said “effective” instead of “strong”.
It makes more sense if you read the replies one at a time, though.
When I was wrestling in high school, our coach made us wear blindfolds sometimes. Without being able to see, you could just “tell” where the other person was. There was almost no disadvantage to being blindfolded. I’m not sure if this is directly related to the OP, but it may be indirectly?
Was your coach’s name Master Po? Did you wrestle on rice paper? 
I’ve read about research into the idea that blind people’s other senses are enhanced to compensate, and the consensus was that they weren’t. I think that blind people deny it too.
Part of the research was to blindfold seeing people, just as your coach did.
One parlor trick is to blindfold people and have them very slowly approach a wall. Most will stop pretty close to the wall without bumping into it.
The blindfold trick is a bit different. You’re perceiving the changes in sound around you without necessarily being aware of them. However, pay close attention to what you’re hearing and you’ll easily discern the changes.
But with an ordinary blindfold, it’s easy to nose-peek. There’s a gap on either side of your nose so you can see the floor and pick up various visual hints. Raise your head as though to sniff, and you can see a lot more.