Synthesis: When you hear colors, see sounds, and taste them!

What is Synesthesia?

Using modern brain-scanning techniques and molecular genetic methods, researchers are getting closer to understanding the source of a strange sensory phenomenon called synesthesia.

Overview

Synesthesia is a neurological condition in which the arrival of information that stimulates one of the senses leads to the stimulation of other senses.

The origin of the word synesthesia goes back to the two Greek words (Synth) which means “together” and (esthesia) which means “to perceive”. Someone who has this trait can sometimes “see” music when listening to it, or “taste »The texture is spherical or tapered when eating.

Researchers are still not sure how common the condition is, as a 2006 study suggested that synesthesia affects 2-4% of people.

Examples of synesthesia

If you own synesthesia, you will regard that your senses direct intertwine, giving you another dimension in perceiving the world around you. Every time you bite off a piece of food, you may feel a spherical, sharp, or square shape. And when you have feelings for someone you love, you may be able to close your eyes and see specific colors in your visual field.

You may now read this article with a series of noises in your head, giving each sentence a separate character as if you are talking to someone on the road. All of these experiences are examples of synesthesia.

“The taste of the meat produces a dark blue light, a lime green with wavy red lines when I eat a mango,” says Professor Chun Dai, a linguist from the National Central University in Taiwan, who sees colors when he tastes food. The bright orange foam is four feet straight in front of me. '

Associated sense: when you hear colors, see sounds and taste them - what is the state that makes a person able to hear and taste the sound called - stimulate the senses

Causes of synesthesia

The phenomenon of synesthesia for scientists is a confusing issue, as studies confirm that the phenomenon is of biological origin, as it is automatic, not acquired, different from hallucinations, inherited within the family, and is more common among women than men. But until recently, scientists were only guessing the causes of synesthesia.

People usually have this phenomenon when they are born or develop it early in childhood, and it can be acquired at an advanced age. Research indicates that synesthesia may be inherited genetically.

Now, brain-scanning tools, molecular genetic studies, and behavioral science promise to unveil the mechanisms that cause the synesthesia, and researchers hope for a deeper understanding of how perception and consciousness work in the brain.

Each of your five senses stimulates a different area of the brain. For example, looking at a bright yellow wall activates the primary visual cortex in the back region of the brain. In the case of synesthesia, you may feel a taste in your mouth when you look at the wall as if you are tasting its color.

Not only will the primary visual cortex be activated by color, but it will also activate the parietal lobe, which tells you how something tastes. Therefore, researchers believe that those who undergo synesthesia have a high degree of interconnectivity between parts of the brain associated with sensory stimuli.

A study by Baron-Cohen's group recently demonstrated that the phenomenon is not only stable over time, but is also measurable in the brain. Using positron emission tomography and functional magnetic resonance imaging, researchers found increased visual cortex activity when hearing voices in people with synesthesia, and these results did not appear in normal people.

Baron-Cohen and his colleagues suggest that synesthesia results from an increase in the number of nerve connections in the brain due to a genetic condition. 

Naturally, different sensory functions are located in different areas of the brain, with a limited number of connections between them. 

The team assumes that the brain structure is different in the case of synesthesia, as the brain of people with this phenomenon has a greater number of connections between neurons, which leads to the absence of specialization of each region with one function as usual, so the synesthesia appears.

Professor of psychology Daphne Maurer of McMaster University has suggested that all humans are born with neural connections that allow synesthesia, but that most of us lose them with growth. Psychology professor Peter Grossenbacher from Naropa University explains that the condition is likely genetic. He and his team collaborated with scientists in molecular genetic studies to research the issue, but Grossenbacher and his colleagues hypothesize a different mechanism. Grossenbacher comments:

 “We don't need to assume that there is a structure other than Natural communication to interpret synesthesia ». Instead, he believes that the connections that return information from the higher multifunctional regions to the specialized sensory regions are not as inhibited as they should be. In the usual case, information from these higher regions is allowed to return to the area specialized in this information only, but in the brain of those who have synesthesia, this mechanism is disrupted, allowing different senses to mix.

Grossenbacher thinks his hypothesis is consistent with the fact that hallucinogenic drugs can stimulate a temporary synesthesia state. 

Some substances allow you to experience synesthesia, as the use of hallucinogenic drugs increases your sensory experiences and strengthens the connection between them. Mescaline, psilocybin, and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) have undergone studies of their ability to induce this phenomenon, and other drugs such as hemp, alcohol, and even caffeine have been shown to temporarily cause synesthesia.

Effects in other areas

Psychologists' interest in this phenomenon extends to more than just studying some of the individuals who possess this phenomenon. “Synesthesia encompasses many areas that are familiar to psychologists,” says Larry Marks, a psychologist at Yale University. It tells us about the nature of perception and how some things become the same. Synesthesia may help us understand the underlying mechanism of similarity in our nervous system. ” In practice, research helps in the field of synesthesia raises awareness about the condition, which reduces the risk that clinicians may perceive it as a sign of mental illness.

Symptoms of synesthesia

Symptoms of many forms of synesthesia vary. One of the most well-known cases is "grapheme", in which letters and the names of the days of the week are associated with colors. There are other forms such as phonemic/chromatic synesthesia, the synesthesia for numbers, and others, and a person may have one form of synesthesia or several.

People with synesthesia tend to show the following symptoms:

1.     Sensations overlapping between several senses involuntarily, such as tasting shapes and hearing colors.
2.     Fixed, predictable sensory stimuli that cause perceptual interference, such as a red letter "A" appearing every time you see the letter.
3.     The ability to describe the unusual perceptions of others.

If you have synesthesia, chances are your left side is your dominant half, and you have an interest in visual arts and music. This phenomenon appears to be more common in females than in males.

Treatment of synesthesia

There is no cure for this phenomenon. Those who own it report that they enjoy their perception of the surrounding environment in a way different from what the public perceives. On the contrary, some people feel isolated from others because of this condition, as they find it difficult to explain their sensory experience because it is difficult to describe. Creating synesthesia communities online helps reduce feelings of isolation.

A mental health professional counseling also helps you see what this phenomenon is adding to your life. Instead of having a dominant aspect of your brain, you may find both sides of your brain are well-knit that helps you do the work you love.

Detecting the state of synesthesia

You can take a free online assessment to check whether or not you have synesthesia. But the result must be treated with caution. You can begin the diagnostic process by asking yourself a few questions if you feel you have the condition.

 Does your mind assign a specific color to the letter A when you imagine seeing it? Check out the rest of the letters of the alphabet, imagine each letter and note the color that you see in it and write it down. Repeat the exercise after an hour or two. Does the letter appear the same color every time you imagine? If so, then you probably have synesthesia.

Play classical music and close your eyes. Pick an unfamiliar song, then relax and notice what appears in your visual field. 

What color is the music? 
Does each machine have its color? 
Are clear visual components appearing with what you hear? 
If this happens, you probably have synesthesia.

Conclusion

You can have a normal life with synesthesia. This phenomenon is owned by many celebrities such as Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, Mary J. Blige, Torey Amos, among others. The painter's Vincent Van Gogh and John Mitchell are thought to have possessed synesthesia. Hearing colors and reading colors in words on a piece of paper adds an extra dimension to life's many dreams.