Synesthesizing
Posted by Arwen Mosher in Just me on Thursday, September 03, 2009 10:00 AM
Have you ever known someone to whom the letter ‘A’ is always red?
Yeah, me neither. Those people are crazy.
Ha! I kid, of course.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, the phenomenon to which I’m referring is called grapheme → color synesthesia. People who have it associate a specific color with each letter or number. Grapheme → color synesthesia is one of the most common types of synesthesia.
Wikipedia defines synesthesia in general as “a neurologically based phenomenon in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway.” Isn’t that cool?
I have a special interest in synesthesia because I have it myself. My type is called number-form synesthesia, wherein numbers (as well as days of the week and months of the year) automatically appear in my mind on three-dimensional lines, curves, and twists, with spatial relationship to one another.
And here’s the funny thing: I was well past twenty years old before I heard of synesthesia and figured out that the way I “see” numbers, days, and months is unusual. Before that, I assumed that they just appeared spatially that way in everyone’s head. Why wouldn’t they? It was normal to me.
The Wikipedia article (worth reading in its entirety, here) says that as many as 1 in 23 people could have some form of synesthesia. There are many variants; among other things, some people apparently associate sounds with colors and letters or numbers with various personalities.
Isn’t the human brain incredible?
I know a couple people with synesthesia. A friend of mine associates a visual pattern with the personality of each person she knows, which I find fascinating. But I’m curious: do any of you have experience with synesthesia? Do you, or does someone you know, have it? I’d love to know more about this phenomenon.
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