Did You Know? Synesthesia Links Some Senses Together

Did you Know? A condition called Synesthesia (si·nuh·stee·zhuh) exists that causes a person’s five physical senses – Taste, Touch, Smell, Sight, Hearing – to be linked together. With this condition, any combination of these senses can be intertwined, causing the individual who has it to experience extraordinary sensations in their day to day life.

As described on an internet definition search: “Synesthesia is a neurological condition that causes involuntary sensory crossovers, blending two senses or perceptions. The word itself comes from Greek and means “concomitant sensations.” 

Some examples of synesthesia include tasting colors, feeling sounds, or seeing numbers in specific colors. People with synesthesia experience consistent sensory triggers that cause predictable interplay between senses. For example, someone might always see the letter “A” as red.” This type is known as Grapheme-Color Synesthesia.

Interestingly, it has been observed that many famous musicians, such as Snoop Dog’s nephew Pharrell Williams, has what is known as Chromesthesia (Sound-to-Color): “This is the most common type, where specific musical notes or chords are associated with particular colors.”

In many cases, the existence of Synesthesia in the individual aids in creativity and enhances their everyday reality. Though in some unfortunate cases, it is a cause of debilitating sensory overload, such as a man who, when looking at letters and words, would have his entire vision obscured by a colorful appearance in front of his eyes, making driving for him impossible. 

Scientists are still unsure how common or uncommon the condition is, though they speculate that it could have some ties with other neurodivergent traits. It is under ongoing research.