Synesthesia a whole new way to see the world :)
By arkaf61
@arkaf61 (10881)
Canada
February 19, 2008 8:32pm CST
I sometimes do focus groups. They don't come often , but when they do it certainly is a welcome easy extra money.
A few years ago, while talking about a laundry detergent I described color as a taste. I didn't notice it, but I know that often I describe things as colors or smells. I do it because it's the way I see it or feel it.
Never paid much attention to it, until that day.
WHen the focus group finished, one of the people interviewing called me and told me a bit about synesthesia. SHe told me that some people did have this link with colours, sounds, tastes, etc. Apparently not that many, but enough to recognize it as something real and not just imagination.
SInce then I learned a bit more. I'm not sure if I exactly fit the bill but there are some things that do fit.
I found it interesting though, and since I heard about it today at work I decided to tell you guys about it.
DId you ever heard of it? Did you ever feel a color or taste a sound? SOunds crazy huh? LOL
4 responses
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
20 Feb 08
Of course what they called the "behavioral consequences" of this phenomenon were touched upon in psychology classes, but I lost interest upon learning that in studies they did where people associated particular colors with particular colors the people evaluated did not at all associate the same number with the same colors. For instance one or two people might "know" that 5 is yellow, but the others tested might strongly feel it was orange or blue, or you associated the color green with a sweet taste somebody else might fervently believe that green is sour.
In contrast, if people's independent perceptions innately matched to colors bands used to mark the value of resistors, for instance, I would have been highly interested:
http://www.csgnetwork.com/resistcolcalc.html
Even in metaphysical thought, such as the study of cosmic harmony, there is general agreement that, for instance, the note C is Red, D is Orange, and so forth, following the colors of the rainbow as they progress through the spectrum.
1 person likes this
@arkaf61 (10881)
• Canada
20 Feb 08
Hmmm I get your idea, but I feel you are seeing it from the logical point of view. I don't see it as that logical so it seems natural to me that people will see , feel, or taste according to themselves and not a specific scale or rule even metaphysical :)
Still your point is quite valid, and merits some more reflection.
Does that mean that I can't taste my colors anymore ? LOL
@arkaf61 (10881)
• Canada
20 Feb 08
Nah... I didn't see it as judgmental:) I value your comments and opinions for they are yours and you've come up with excellent points in many discussions. Too many to dismiss your thoughts as merely judgmental :):)
As you know I am kind of adopted so even though I do know quite some people from my birth family there's a lot of things I don't know, but I heard something about my grandma being a bit peculiar in that sense. DOn't know it for sure though.
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
20 Feb 08
It could mean just the opposite--that more people should be open-minded and see if they can relax a little land make the connections! After hitting the post button on this one I hoped nobody would think that I was being judgmental in my remarks. Apparently there have been families where, say, a father and a daughter have the synesthesia but the mother and son do not, and I can see that as being interesting. Does anyone else in your family have this skill?
1 person likes this
@arkaf61 (10881)
• Canada
7 Mar 08
After the lady told me that I looked it up and the best description I got was the synesthesia is kind of the joining together or sensations that are usually felt separately. LIke in my case describing colours or smells as a taste.I guess it works with any combination of senses. It's not something that you can make happen or turn off, it just happens together.
@GardenGerty (157546)
• United States
20 Feb 08
I have heard of this before, but I do not think I do it, or if I do it is not that often. I can imagine that a sunny day is lemony--if that counts.It is interesting to hear about it, though.
1 person likes this
@Graagh (95)
• United States
20 Feb 08
A good friend of mine is a synaesthete. She sees and sometimes hears words with colors, and occasionally feelings with colors. It really is a blessing and a curse. It is apparently really great when she studies vocab or spelling... she can memorize the color of the word too.
At the same time, she gets overwhelmed sometimes. Like, one day she said it was painfully blue outside.
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