
Synesthesia is both involuntary but elicited (Cytowic, 1996) and irrepressible. Back to top of FAQ What are the characteristics of synesthesia? For example, when someone hears a sound, he or she immediately sees a color or shape in his or her "mind's eye." People that have synesthesia are called synesthetes. At its simplest level, synesthesia means that when a certain sense or part of a sense is activated, another unrelated sense or part of a sense is activated concurrently. Synesthesia (or synaesthesia) is loosely defined as "senses coming together," which is just a translation of the Greek (etymology: syn - together, esthesia from aesthesis - sensation). Where can I get more information?ġ0) I think I might have synesthesia. Veronica Gross.Ģ) What are the characteristics of synesthesia?ħ) Is there any proof that synesthesia occurs?Ĩ) Does synesthesia get in the way of everyday life?ĩ) I'm interested in synesthesia. Frequently Asked Questions about Synesthesia This FAQ written by Dr. She is happy to talk with synesthetes, students, and other researchers about synesthesia and her research. Veronica Gross is still working to explore memory, perception, and synesthesia. Although the Synesthesia Project is no longer active at Boston University, Dr. On these pages, you will find more information about synesthesia. If you see someone get physically hurt, you will feel actual pain in the same location.Welcome to the Synesthesia Project site. Mirror Touch Synesthesia: This is yet another rare form in which you literally feel what another person feels.Auditory-Tactile Synesthesia: This is another rare form of synesthesia, in which certain sounds can induce sensations in parts of the body.For example, the letter c could taste like chocolate. Sometimes the food taste depends on the letters of the word. The word "computer," for example, could taste like a chocolate bar. Lexical to Gustatory Synesthesia: In this rare form of synesthesia, words have a distinctive taste.It is automatic and unintentional, however, which leads many to request its inclusion. Because this isn't a direct sensory association, some people have questioned its inclusion with other synesthesia types. Sometimes objects may be imbued with personality as well. Ordinal Linguistic Personification: Anything that appears in a sequence, such as days, months, letters or numbers, may become associated with different personalities.Number Forms: When some people picture numbers, they appear in different shapes that connect the numbers together.Some people only have the experience for a particular type of sound, while others experience the fireworks with many different noises. Sound to Color: People with sound to color synesthesia may see something like colorful fireworks triggered by different sounds in their environment, like voices, music, or traffic.For example, the letter 3 may be further away than the number 4. A special variation is called spatial sequence synesthesia, in which people see the grapheme as positioned differently in space. Certain similarities are common between individuals: for example, the letter A is usually red. Grapheme to Color: Certain letters or numbers (graphemes) appear tinged with color in this most common form of synesthesia.
