Synaesthesia

:Note: Synaesthesia was the name of a series of events that took place in Rochester, NY in 2003 (see Synaesthesia, events). There is also an industrial music band called Synæsthesia.

Related Topics:
Synaesthesia, events - Industrial music - Band - Synæsthesia

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Synaesthesia (also spelled synesthesia); from the Greek (syn-) ?union?, and (aesthesis) ?sensation?; is the neurological mixing of the senses. A synaesthete may, for example, hear colors, see sounds, and taste tactile sensations. Although this may happen in a person who has autism, it is by no means exclusive to autists. Synaesthesia is a common effect of some hallucinogenic drugs such as LSD or mescaline.

Related Topics:
Neurological - Sense - Hear - Color - Sound - Taste - Autism - Hallucinogenic drug - LSD - Mescaline

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Synaesthetes often experience correspondences between the shades of color, tones of sounds, and intensities of tastes that provoke alternate sensations. For instance, a synaesthete may see a more intense red as the pitch of a sound gets higher, or a smoother surface might make one taste a sweeter taste. These experiences are not metaphorical or merely associations; rather, they are involuntary and are consistent throughout life, although some young synaesthetes seem to lose their ability by or during adulthood. Depressant drugs tend to increase the depth of the perception.

Related Topics:
Shade - Tone - Red - Sweeter - Metaphor - Depressant - Drug

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Synaesthesia can even occur when one of the senses no longer functions properly, e.g., a person who can see colours when words are spoken can still see the colours if he becomes blind in later life. This phenomenon is known as "martian colors." The term originated from a case of a synaesthete who was born partially color blind, but saw certain 'alien' colors in his synaesthetic perceptions that he never saw (was incapable of seeing) in the 'real world.'

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The most common forms of synaesthesia involve colour, being assigned to letters, numbers, days of the week or (especially for musicians) musical keys.

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Richard Cytowic wrote a pop-psych book about this condition entitled The Man Who Tasted Shapes.

Related Topics:
Richard Cytowic - Pop-psych - The Man Who Tasted Shapes

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Some researchers and theorists have suggested that synaesthesia may have played a part in early humans' development of writing and written literacies.

Related Topics:
Research - Theorists - Literacies

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Alternate spellings exist (synaesthesis, synesthesia), and many of those who experience the phenomenon identify as "synaesthetes".

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