News
he Gift Of Synesthesia
For some the number seven is red. Yellow for others. And what about the personality of the word Monday? And its taste?
This is synesthesia, where the stimulation of one sense triggers an automatic, involuntary experience in another sense. It’s a different way to experience the world around us.
Synesthetes may see sounds, taste words or feel a sensation on their skin when they smell certain scents.
For many synesthetes numbers and letters trigger a personal color experience where numbers are experienced as having precise personalities.
Scientists used to think synesthesia was quite rare, but they now think up to 4 percent of the population has some form of the condition.
Synesthesia is a sensory phenomenon that's unrelated to memory, so if you're not a synesthete, you could teach yourself to associate a color with a certain number for example, but your brain wouldn't respond the same way a synesthete's would.
About 40 percent of synesthetes have a first-degree relative with synesthesia, and many synesthetes recall having synesthesia as long as they can remember. Daphne Maurer, a psychologist at McMaster University, has speculated that all of us may be born with the neural connections that allow synesthesia, but that most of us lose those connections as we grow.
Some synesthetes say their condition can be uncomfortable at times. For example, seeing words printed in the wrong color can be strange, or certain names may taste bad to a synesthete. Others report suffering sensory overload or feeling embarrassed at a young age when they describe experiences they didn't know were atypical.
There may also be some benefits to being a synesthete, such as an ability to discern similar colours and easily memorise information. In 2005, Daniel Tammet set the European record for memorising 22,514 digits in five hours. He attributed the feat to his ability to see numbers with colour, texture and sound.
Most synesthetes think of their abilities as a gift and wouldn't want to lose them.
This is synesthesia, where the stimulation of one sense triggers an automatic, involuntary experience in another sense. It’s a different way to experience the world around us.
Synesthetes may see sounds, taste words or feel a sensation on their skin when they smell certain scents.
For many synesthetes numbers and letters trigger a personal color experience where numbers are experienced as having precise personalities.
Scientists used to think synesthesia was quite rare, but they now think up to 4 percent of the population has some form of the condition.
Synesthesia is a sensory phenomenon that's unrelated to memory, so if you're not a synesthete, you could teach yourself to associate a color with a certain number for example, but your brain wouldn't respond the same way a synesthete's would.
About 40 percent of synesthetes have a first-degree relative with synesthesia, and many synesthetes recall having synesthesia as long as they can remember. Daphne Maurer, a psychologist at McMaster University, has speculated that all of us may be born with the neural connections that allow synesthesia, but that most of us lose those connections as we grow.
Some synesthetes say their condition can be uncomfortable at times. For example, seeing words printed in the wrong color can be strange, or certain names may taste bad to a synesthete. Others report suffering sensory overload or feeling embarrassed at a young age when they describe experiences they didn't know were atypical.
There may also be some benefits to being a synesthete, such as an ability to discern similar colours and easily memorise information. In 2005, Daniel Tammet set the European record for memorising 22,514 digits in five hours. He attributed the feat to his ability to see numbers with colour, texture and sound.
Most synesthetes think of their abilities as a gift and wouldn't want to lose them.