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Synesthesia is a state in which sensory impressions are mixed with each other. Then you can, among others see or taste the colors of words. The flavors, on the other hand, can be heard as sounds. For example, the word Monday may be red and a Mozart piece may have the flavor of strawberries with whipped cream. Thanks to synesthesia, you can even feel the sound of various objects with your fingers. Find out what exactly synesthesia is.
Synesthesia(Greek: synísthesis - simultaneous perception; sýn - together and aísthesis - cognition through the senses) is a state in which experiences of one sense also evoke experiences characteristic of other senses . In other words, a certain sensory stimulus is also perceived by a sense other than the one to which it was directed. For example, a piece by Mozart (which is a sensory stimulus) activates not only the sense of hearing, but also, for example, the sense of taste. Then you can perceive the heard sounds as a taste sensation, transform the auditory sensation into a taste sensation. In this way, a Mozart piece can taste like strawberries with whipped cream. We can also talk about synesthesia when, for example, perceiving low sounds gives the impression of softness, and e.g. the blue color is perceived as cool, and e.g. the number 6 is green.
It is estimated that there are ten synesthetics per million people. Interestingly, most of them are left-handed. It was also noticed that synesthesia occurs almost three times more often in women than in men. Famous synesthetists included: Russian writer Vladimir Nabokov, French poet Arthur Rimbaud, German composer Ludwig van Beethoven, and Russian composer of the Romantic era, Mikołaj Rimski-Korsakov. They also include John Lennon, Marilyn Monroe, and Stevie Wonder.
Synesthesia - when can you talk about it?
Synesthesia may resemble, inter alia, a state of narcotic intoxication (confusion of the senses may occur, for example, after taking LSD). Therefore, certain criteria for the diagnosis of synesthesia were adopted. According to Richard E. Cytowic - a scientist who studies synesthesia - they are:
- involuntary - the sensory impressions that arise are not controlled, they appear regardless of our will;
- projection - sensory impressions arise not only inside the mind, but also outside it;
- durability and uniqueness - a specific stimulus in a given personalways evokes the same sensory impressions (e.g. the number 5 is always blue);
- memory - the triggered impression remains vivid in memory;
- emotions - a person is convinced of the reality of sensory impressions, often these sensations are combined with feelings, e.g. delight or disgust;
Synesthesia - types
There are several types of synesthesia. The most popular is the aforementioned linguistic synesthesia, in which numbers, letters or words evoke impressions in the senses related to hearing, sight, taste and touch. In this way, a given word may evoke a taste sensation, e.g. the name Monika may have a raspberry flavor. You can also see numbers and words in a certain color, e.g. the number 6 is green, the word sand is yellow. In this case, each letter of the alphabet has its own color, e.g. the letter "a" can be red.
Besides, there is musical synesthesia. Then, while listening to music, you experience taste or color sensations, e.g. contemporary music has a sour taste, and a Mozart piece may have the flavor of strawberries with whipped cream. In turn, the aforementioned Mikołaj Rimski-Korsakow argued that for him each musical key has a different color, e.g. the key of C major is white, and D major is yellow, sunny.
The strangest thing, however, is audiomotor synesthesia, when you feel the need to take a specific position when you hear a specific sound.
In addition, there are so-called strong synesthesia - like Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov had - and weak synesthesia, which occurs in most people. Most people feel blue as cool. Most people, when they think of a letter, see its color. For example, the letter "a" may be red. In turn, in the case of synesthetics, it will not be simply red, but, for example, a juicy shade of watermelon flesh.
Synesthesia - causes
It is not known what the exact causes of synesthesia are. The first theory is that in the brain of synesthetes, or people who experience confusion, there are more connections between neurons carrying information from different sense organs, and as a result, different sensations get mixed up with each other. For example, visual stimuli activate areas in the head responsible for auditory processing.
Others argue that in synesthetics the number of connections between neurons is normal, while the balance between inhibiting and silencing the impulses that reach the brain is disturbed.
The third hypothesis is that they are all born synesthetes with an additional number of connections between neurons, and are so until approximately 3 months of age. Therefore, in every small child it can come toconfusion of the senses. It has been scientifically proven that one sensory impression stimulates all the senses in an infant's brain simultaneously, which gives a lot of sensations and sensations. After three months of age, these connections disappear in most people. Some people do not have this process and they become synesthetes for the rest of their lives.
In turn, the theory of learned behavior states that the person experiencing given sensations learned to associate words or sounds with the color of objects around him in childhood.
It has also been established that synesthesia can be hereditary. For example, Vladimir Nabokov married a woman who was also a synesthetic and gave their gift to their son Dmitry.
Bibliography: Sidorowska I.,Cognitive implications of synesthesia , [in:] Neurocognitive science in Pathology and He alth 2009-2011, Pomeranian University of Szczecin, Szczecin 2011