How does your name taste? The strange science of synaesthesia
Summary
Synaesthesia is a condition where one sense triggers another, like tasting names or seeing colors in sounds. About 2 to 4 percent of people may have it, but many do not realize their experiences are unusual. Scientists are studying how brain connections in synaesthetes work differently, possibly due to less pruning of neural links during childhood.Key Facts
- Synaesthesia means one sense automatically triggers another, like tasting sounds or seeing colors in music.
- A Greek jewelry designer, Constantina Makridakis, tastes names as specific foods, like caramel chocolate or pasta with prawns.
- Famous synaesthetes include singer Billie Eilish and composer Franz Liszt, who saw musical notes as colors.
- Around 2 to 4 percent of the global population experiences some form of synaesthesia.
- Many people with synaesthesia may not know they have it because it feels normal to them.
- Research suggests synaesthesia happens because the brain keeps more connections between senses than usual, due to less pruning of neurons in childhood.
- The neurological basis of synaesthesia is still being explored by scientists.
- People with milder synaesthesia might experience time or sequences as shapes in their inner mind.
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