Synesthetes: Interconnected Senses

 by Claudia Bishop

Synesthetes is a perceptual condition in which senses are inter connected and can stimulate each other. It is believed to be quite rare; however, recent research has concluded up to four percent of the population have it. An example of this phenomenon is when people characterise different numbers, for example 5X5=25 gives the same feeling as a Friday. This is a rather common feeling and can come in various forms. For example, when shown a photo of a familiar person, despite their name not being explicitly shown, the name will come to mind. During my research, I found that this does not only apply to colour but also sound in videos when there is no sound being played.

 

For example, in this video no sound is being played however I can hear the electricity poles thudding. Experts vary on their understanding of synaesthesia, some argue that everyone is born with an ability to associate different senses however some believe it is more genetic. What is to be said is there is no conclusive evidence to indicate that synesthesia is down to one simple cause.

A study by Köhler showed two photographs, one of which a spiky orange shape whereas the other was a smoother purple shape. Each participant was asked which shape was called “Kiki” and which one was called “Booba”. 95-98% of participants concluded that the orange shape was called “Kiki” and the purple named “Booba”. The fact that as humans we can agree on the name of an inanimate shape shows that our senses can be linked so that a deeper emotional impulse is triggered by a random shape. We may associate the long “oo” sound in “Booba” with long curvy lines but the harsh sound of “KiKi” is sharper and can be characterized by pointy spikes.

This idea is familiar to me, since I was young, I have always seen feelings in different inanimate sounds and pictures. I often find this with cars as there seems to be a strong link between the way a car looks and a specific emotion. For example, the way the headlights and the line of a car boot is positioned on Audi cars seems to make the car feel quite scary and threatening whereas a VW beetle is more infantile.

Synesthesia may have more logical explanations. Having spoken to various peers, their association between senses come from childhood memories. The way in which many of us learn about the months in the year is often taught alongside a colourful poster. As this is usually a large step in our knowledge of the world it will tend to be a highly emotional time. Many of us can still remember our first calendar and therefore view the different months with colours and therefore feelings. 

To conclude, this condition is highly interesting and a very strange yet mundane part of everyday life.