The history of the issue of synesthesia of sound and image. Synesthesia: a phenomenon or ability that can be developed? Synesthesia in famous people

What sound does yellow? What color is number 3? For most people, these questions will seem absurd, meaningless, at best - poetic. However, some people will be able to give direct answers to them based on their own experience. In people with synesthesia, feelings and sensations spontaneously and irreversibly mix.

The term "synesthesia" comes from the Greek roots "syn" - together, and "esthesia" - feeling. With synesthesia, sound information can acquire a smell, etc. Any mixture of feelings is possible, but some of the combinations are most common among synesthetics.

Types of synesthesia

Grapheme color synesthesia

Certain letters or numbers are associated with colors, and this is the most studied type of synesthesia. It is interesting that often different people build the same connections, for example, the letter A is most often perceived as red.

Another type of synesthesia associated with letters and numbers is sequence localization. In this state, people tend to see numbers at different distances in space. So, the number 3 can be further than the number 4, and so on.

Chromesthesia or phonopsia

People with chromesthesia may see fireworks of colors when they hear certain sounds nearby. It can be the voices of people, music or the sounds of vehicles.
For some synesthetics, only one particular sound causes a similar effect, while others see several different sounds in color at once.

number line

When some people imagine number series, it takes on a certain form, always the same.

Ordinal linguistic personification

Everything that has a sequence, for example, days of the week, months, letters and numbers, is associated with personalities in synesthetics, that is, it seems to come to life in their minds.
Although this phenomenon is not related to the realm of feelings, it is nevertheless included among the manifestations of synesthesia, since it occurs constantly and involuntarily.

Lexico-gastic synesthesia

In this rare form of synesthesia, words literally take on a taste. For example, the word “computer” may taste like cranberries. Sometimes such associations are associated with the letter composition of the word. For example, the first letter "k" might taste like cranberry.

Acoustic-tactile synesthesia

This is another of the rare forms of this condition, in which certain sounds cause physical sensations in a person in different parts of the body.

Touch Empathy

An even rarer form of synesthesia, where you literally feel exactly the same as the other person. If you see someone hurt, you start feeling pain too.

Who gets synesthesia

According to statistics, this phenomenon occurs in 1-20 people out of 2000. Early studies of the phenomenon indicated that synesthesia is more common in women, but more recent studies note that the number of synesthetes is approximately the same among men and women.
Synesthesia can be inherited, and also occur as a consequence of a stroke or stroke, as well as a form of compensation as a result of loss of vision or hearing.

How synesthesia is studied

One of the problems in studying this phenomenon is that scientists have to rely on verbal descriptions synesthetes. However, there are tests to confirm or refute their words.

For example, on a piece of paper, a person with grapheme-color synesthesia will instantly find the letter A among hundreds of other letters, because it is bright red for him. There are also tests for finding the Latin S and the number 2.

Why Synesthesia Occurs

Our perception is essentially a chain of electrical signals in the brain. Usually, certain parts of the brain are responsible for each “own” information. So, the occipital lobes contain information about visual images, and the temporal lobes - about sounds. Synesthesia can arise from unexpected connections and exchanges of information between distant regions of the brain. Perhaps this explains why we know the most about grapheme-color synesthesia. The fact is that letters and numbers are perceived at the junction between the parietal and temporal lobes. The color information is relatively close, which means that the incoming information can be mixed.
At a young age, we have more brain connections than at an old age. Over the years, the connection diagram is simplified, perhaps to make our understanding of the world more logical. Synesthesia can result from non-residual simplification. There is another theory: the brain has a mechanism to protect against an overabundance of information. If this mechanism functions intermittently, synesthesia occurs. This version is supported by cases of synesthesia as a result of damage to brain functions during a stroke or apoplexy.

Is synesthesia a neurological disease?

Although synesthesia is a feature of the flow of information processing in the brain, it would be wrong to call it a disease. This phenomenon does not affect the quality of life. Synesthetes just see the world differently. Most of them do not suspect that they are somehow different from other people, until it suddenly turns out randomly in the process of communication. By the way, there is an opinion that synesthetics are more prone to creativity.
Interestingly, to one degree or another, we all exhibit a kind of synesthesia. For example, in one large study, people were shown two figures: one with sharp corners, the second is more rounded. It was necessary to choose which figure to call "Buba" and which one - "Kiki". 98% of people, regardless of age and education, called Buba a figure with smooth outlines, and Kiki - a figure with a broken edge. It turns out that our brain can build involuntary associations similar to those that arise in synesthesia, albeit weaker.

Synesthesia as a phenomenon once again proves how amazing and complex our brain is, and how many discoveries we still have to make by studying it.

Synesthesia is a neurological phenomenon in which the perception of phenomena and symbols is supplemented by certain qualities, such as sound, color, smell, and others. People who do this are called synesthetes. In other words, the phenomenon can be explained as follows: the perception of what is happening, in which one of the sense organs is affected, in parallel with its sensations, causes others that are inherent in a completely different sense organ. In this way, the brain complements our real perception.

It should be noted that synesthesia is not classified as a mental disorder. This is a kind of adaptation to the environment. But it must be said that the term "synesthesia" is not an entirely accurate definition of this phenomenon: "ideasthesia" is more accurate.

There are various types of synesthesia, and the most common of these is grapheme-color synesthesia. This means that a person perceives letters and numbers differently: he has them painted in certain colors. Spatial synesthesia is when numbers, years and months are located in space in a certain place.

To date, only some types of the phenomenon have been described by scientists.

Some scientists believe that synesthesia helps people in creative professions. This phenomenon is also studied by psychologists and neurologists, because it is very interesting. In addition, the data will help to understand the process of cognition itself, as well as the perception of all people, not just synesthetes.

Etiology

To date, little is known about the causes of synesthesia. Currently, scientists have just begun to conduct research on the development of this phenomenon in children.

Evidence was obtained that this is not a phenomenon of cross-feelings, since it has the properties of ideasthesia. Therefore, scientists have put forward such an assumption that such a state develops in childhood, when the first contact with abstract concepts occurs. This assumption is called the semantic vacuum hypothesis, so the grapheme-color and number forms are the most common. It is these abstract concepts that are the first in a child's life.

Classification

In medicine, this phenomenon is divided into two forms:

• Projection. Those who project see different colors and all kinds of shapes during the period of the stimulus. Such a person is called a projector.
• Associative. In this case, people feel the connection of the stimulus with the sensation evoked, and the person is called an associator.

The phenomenon occurs with chromesthesia (when sound is combined with light) - the projector hears the playing of the pipe and sees an orange triangle located in space, and the associator represents the orange color that makes the sound.

Some people with this phenomenon say that they did not even know that they were not like the majority. And others claim that they are the keepers of an important secret. The automatic manifestation of synesthesia, for synesthetes, is already something quite common. Such people say that their special experiences are neutral, but can also be pleasant. Although some argue that this leads to sensory overload.

Despite the fact that some say that this phenomenon is a neurological abnormality or disease, synesthetes themselves do not think so: for them, this is like a hindrance. But there are those who present this phenomenon as a special gift that they are afraid to lose. Most of them learned about their unusual ability in childhood. Some were able to apply it at work or in everyday life. There are examples when such people can remember big numbers, phone numbers, perform complex mathematical operations in the mind.

Despite general information about the phenomenon, the individual experience of synesthetes differs in many ways. This was noted in the early stages of the study of the phenomenon. For example, some say that consonants are brighter colored than vowels. Others claim the exact opposite. All the reports, notes and interviews that the synesthetes themselves did point to a huge number of types of this phenomenon. There are also many different perceptions and ways to use this feature.

If a person perceives music in terms of color, this means that he has musical-color synesthesia. Auditory synesthesia is defined as hearing the sounds of moving objects.

Mirror touch synesthesia is when the synesthete feels the feelings that a person experiences while touching an object. This is mirror synesthesia. Synesthesia is also common and.

Scientists have repeatedly thought about the question of how to develop synesthesia, but this turned out to be impossible. Such a phenomenon can be manifested by at least two feelings. But there was one synesthete who combined all five senses at the same time.

Diagnostics

Despite the fact that this phenomenon is often called a neurological pathology, it is not included in the International Classification of Diseases. As mentioned earlier, many synesthetes consider this phenomenon to be neutral or pleasant, which is practically the same as absolute pitch. We can say that this is just a different perception of the world around us.

Multiple tests are carried out, during which the perception of colors is checked for a long time. Synesthetes can repeat approximately 90% of projections, even when more than one year has passed between tests. An ordinary person remembers no more than 40% of combinations. He will not be able to repeat them, even if he is warned about the test.

However, it is very difficult to identify the presence of this phenomenon, since most of the people are not even aware of their special abilities.

But certain diagnostic criteria have been identified:

• the phenomenon is automatic and involuntary;
• the perception of such people is expanded;
• the perception of synesthesia is generalized and consistent;
• thanks to this phenomenon, a person has a well-developed memory;
• such a phenomenon is parallel to affect.

After some research, synesthetes were divided into "localizers" and "non-localizers". Some of them feel the properties of space, others do not.

There is no specific treatment, since, in fact, such a phenomenon is not a disease.

The concept of " synesthesia' in psychology comes from Greek word synaisthesis and is defined as the simultaneous perception or ability of a person, when stimulated by one of the sense organs, to experience sensations characteristic of another. In other words, due to the spread of excitation processes in the cerebral cortex (irradiation), a synesthetic (one who is characterized by the phenomenon of synesthesia) can not only hear sounds, but also see them, not only feel any object, but also feel its taste.

What is synesthesia

According to the nature of the additional sensations that arise, synesthesia is divided into several types - auditory, visual, gustatory and others (including combined ones - when several combinations of feelings are observed in one person). The most common type of phenomenon is color hearing, in which two feelings merge into a single whole. A person with auditory color synesthesia, while listening to musical compositions, associates audible sounds with any shades of the color palette. Taste vision is also quite common. taste response to words.

Wherein synesthesia is different for everyone and heterogeneous. The same sound for different people is painted in different colors or is represented by different images. The same applies to textural or color association with letters, words or numbers. Each person perceives them in different colors: for one, the letter A is lilac, for another - red, for the third - green.

Interestingly, with all the variety of synesthetic variations, the letter O in most people is associated with white.

Another feature is synesthesia may not apply to the entire mass of information coming from this sense organ, but only from a part. For example, some words will cause color or taste reactions, and some will not.

The study of synesthesia

How mental phenomenon synesthesia known in science and medicine for several centuries. Among famous people composers A. Scriabin, who distinguished the color and even the taste of musical notes, and N. Rimsky-Korsakov, who had color hearing for pitch, were synesthetics. The poet Arthur Rimbaud painted vowel sounds in different colors, and the artist V. Kandinsky could hear the sounds of colors.

So far, there is no consensus on the explanation origin of synesthesia. According to one version, its development begins in infancy. In the brain of newborns, the impulses emanating from the sense organs are mixed, but over time, as a result of the death of neurons that form the so-called synaptic bridges, their separation begins. In synesthetics, this process does not occur, so they remain “happy babies” throughout their lives.

Interestingly, "connecting" different senses and using them in unusual contexts is one of the principles of neuroscience - charging the brain, which does not allow the brain to stagnate. Of course, neurobic exercises do not include “seeing” numbers or “listening” to colors, but they can include dressing with your eyes closed or smelling perfume to music.

(due to the irradiation of excitation from the nervous structures of one sensory system to another), along with sensations specific to it, it also causes sensations corresponding to another sense organ.

Taste synesthesia- the appearance of taste associations from any words, images. Such synesthetes may, for example, hear their favorite song every time they eat chocolate.

The most common synesthetes are color or textural associations with letters, numbers, and words (for example, the letter A always appears bright green).

The phenomenon of synesthesia has been known to science for three centuries. The peak of interest in it came at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Then not only doctors, but also people of art became interested in a mixture of feelings. So, in 1915, a special instrument was created for the performance of the light part in Prometheus by Alexander Scriabin. In the 1970s, “music + light” concerts were popular, which used a “light organ” - a musical instrument that extracted not only sounds, but also light.

The origins of the reasons for the connection of visible and audible perception to human receptors go back to the depths of centuries. Even in ancient times, there was an art called syncretism, that is, indivisible into genera and species. Color and sound in the minds of primitive ancestors belonged to certain objects, and the perception of objects was specific. That is why the dance and the light from the flame of the fire, which were obligatory ritual actions, were inseparable and were performed on certain and intended occasions.

Keep in mind that synesthesia is not a mental disorder.

see also

Links

• Cordoba M.J. de, Hubbard E.M., Riccò D., Day S.A., III Congreso Internacional de Sinestesia, Ciencia y Arte, 26-29 Abril, Parque de las Ciencias de Granada, Ediciones Fundación Internacional Artecittà, Edición Digital interactiveiva, Imprenta del Carmen. Granada 2009. ISBN 978-84-613-0289-5
• Cordoba M.J. de, Riccò D. (et al.), Sinestesia. Los fundamentos teóricos, artísticos y científicos, Ediciones Fundación Internacional Artecittà, Granada 2012. ISBN 978-84-939054-1-5
• Cytowic, R.E., Synesthesia: A Union of The Senses, second edition, MIT Press, Cambridge, 2002. ISBN 978-0-262-03296-4
• Cytowic, R.E., The Man Who Tasted Shapes, Cambridge, MIT Press, Massachusetts, 2003. ISBN 0-262-53255-7. OCLC 53186027
• Marks L.E., The Unity of the Senses. Interrelations among the modalities, Academic Press, New York, 1978.
• Riccò D., Sinestesie per il design. Le interazioni sensoriali nell "epoca dei multimedia, Etas, Milano, 1999. ISBN 88-453-0941-X
• Riccò D., Sentire il design. Sinestesie nel progetto di comunicazione, Carocci, Roma, 2008. ISBN 978-88-430-4698-0
• Tornitore T., Storia delle sinestesie. Le origini dell "audizione colorata, Genova, 1986.
• Tornitore T., Scambi di sensi. Preistoria delle sinestesie, Centro Scientifico Torinese, Torino, 1988.

• Site of the synesthetes network community: news and science about synesthesia, synesthesia in art, research on the connection between voluntary and involuntary synesthesia, anthropology of synesthesia
• What is synesthesia: myths and reality - Published in "Leonardo Electronic Almanac", v.7, 1999, N 6
• Psychologist Vladimir Levy about the phenomenon of synesthesia in his project "Life Science in Questions and Answers".

Notes

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010 .

See what "Synesthesia" is in other dictionaries:

- (from the Greek synaisthesis co-sensation) a phenomenon of perception, when, when a given sense organ is irritated, along with sensations specific to it, sensations arise that correspond to another sense organ (for example, color hearing sound experiences ... ... Big encyclopedic Dictionary

- (from other Greek synaisthesis co-sensation) A concept meaning a form of perception characterized by connections between feelings in the psyche, as well as the results of their manifestations in specific areas of art: a) poetic tropes and stylistic figures, ... ... Encyclopedia of cultural studies

- (Greek) accompanying, secondary representation; the fact that, upon stimulation of any sense organ, not only the sensation corresponding to it, but at the same time the sensation corresponding to another sense organ, arises. So, with the sounds of the trumpet ... ... Philosophical Encyclopedia

- [it. Sunästhesie Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

Synesthesia- Synesthesia: interactions in the process of sensory reflection in thinking of perceived information with the formation of intersensory connections ...

In everyday life, we constantly use our senses - we inhale the smell of fresh bread, admire the beauties of nature, listen to the masterpieces of classical composers, enjoy the taste of ice cream, touch soft silk with pleasure. Using one of the senses to study a subject is a normal human condition. Yes, we can see bread, smell it, touch it and taste it, but who would ever wonder what fresh bread sounds like? It turns out that some people are able to use all five senses at once to study a subject. This phenomenon is called synesthesia.

What is synesthesia

This feature allows a more sensual perception the world. Agree that all sensations - auditory, visual, tactile, olfactory or gustatory - bring us amazing emotions. But synesthetics are able to get much more from sensory perception. They feel reality more vividly, they can see a simple object more beautifully than ordinary people. For synesthetics, all doors open, they have more opportunities to develop their own creative potential.

Synesthesia is a rather new concept, it appeared about three centuries ago. Although the phenomenon itself has been known since ancient times. Our ancestors during ritual dances did not separate sound or color, they did not split objects and phenomena of the surrounding world into genera and species. IN late XIX century synesthesia became popular in the cultural sphere. Creative people actively used the combination of sound and color, visual and taste perception. But synesthesia is a subject of discussion not only for writers and musicians, but also for doctors. Modern psychology divides this phenomenon into several categories.

• Color hearing. This phenomenon is often found in composers or musicians. They are able to give different sounds its coloration.
• auditory synesthesia. The phenomenon has been studied and described in detail by scientists from the California Institute of Technology. Christopher Koch and Melissa Saenz found that synesthetics are able to feel the sensations of sound when certain objects appear. And even if the objects themselves do not reproduce the sound.
• Taste synesthesia. This feature allows people to taste objects in a certain way. This is not about those things that you can really try, but about visual or auditory sensations. For example, when listening to a song, a specific taste sensation may appear.
• The most common type of synesthesia is when a person associates visual images with color or tactile categories.
• There is projective and associated synesthesia in psychology. The latter is associated with impressions that are fixed at the subconscious level. For example, for most people, cold water will be blue. This is due to the fact that the faucet with cold water is always marked in blue, and with hot water - in red. However, projective-type synesthetics will not have any connection between the object and the sensory perception. Their cold water can be a completely different color.

How do synesthetics appear?

The emergence of such a unique phenomenon has caused a lot of controversy in the scientific community. This is understandable, because not every person decides to separate numbers by colors, letters by tactile sensations. In the 19th century, synesthesia was considered a pathology. However, after a series of studies, scientists came to the conclusion that this phenomenon is normal, just a small group of people have it. Initially, it was believed that only 1% of all people on Earth are synesthetics. Although today this figure has increased. Research by Jamie Ward and Julia Simner has shown that one in 100 people has some form of synesthesia. Although there is evidence that true synesthesia is 1 out of 25,000 people. The difficulty lies in the separation of real and pseudo synesthesia. Scientists are also interested in how the phenomenon of synesthesia appeared. Some associate it with a genetic predisposition. For example, Megan Stephen, a scientist at Oxford University, believes that it is genes that play an important role in getting synesthesia. However, his research suggests that other factors may also be at play. Stephen conducted an experiment among synesthetics who had lost their sight. Of the 6 people, three received their peculiarity after blindness. Moreover, the subjects demonstrated excellent varieties of synesthesia. One projected visual images with sound or olfactory sensations, the other began to endow letters and other objects with a certain color. Simon Baron-Cohen of the University of Cambridge believes that the environment or lifestyle contributes to the emergence of this phenomenon. It is important to separate what is real synesthesia and what is associated with projections and hallucinations.

Evidence of the influence of genes on the occurrence of synesthesia is the son of Vladimir Nabokov - Dmitry. He, like his father or mother, inherited this unique phenomenon. Also among the synesthetics there are many writers who covered this phenomenon in their works - Baudelaire, Verlaine, Rimbaud. This also includes Tsvetaeva, Balmont, Pasternak and other Russian authors. Synesthesia of sensations was observed in Rimsky-Korsakov and Scriabin, as well as in the Norwegian singer Ida Maria. This phenomenon is seen not only in creative individuals. For example, Daniel Tammet is a gifted young man who can produce complex mathematical calculations, is also a synesthetic. Tammet knows 11 languages, which once again proves his genius. Synesthesia is also observed in Solomon Shereshevsky, a journalist with a phenomenal memory.

As you already understood, synesthetics are able to better understand the world around them, feel more fully, experience sensations that ordinary people could not even suspect. The presence of synesthesia allows you to decide creative tasks, improve and develop your talent. It is not for nothing that there are so many creative and talented people among famous synesthetics. If you constantly feel additional qualities in familiar things that are not associated with subconscious associations, if they have haunted you since childhood, congratulations, you are a real synesthetic. But according to scientists, and this phenomenon is caused not only by a genetic predisposition, then an ordinary person is able to develop it in himself. There are even special exercises that allow you to connect additional senses that stimulate the development of synesthesia. It is not difficult to perform them, but you can feel unique emotions.

The easiest way is to evoke associations that are unusual for the subject being studied. For example, give music color or texture. Try to think not only in those categories in which you are used to, but go beyond. Always include additional senses that are not normally used for learning. Color should sound, music should taste, smells should be tangible. So you can not only feel what you have not felt before. The presence of synesthesia leads to the emergence of unique ideas that were previously hidden.

The next exercise will require significant brain work. You must learn to think differently. You need to try to present famous people - artists, composers or writers in a different way. Think about what kind of music Pushkin could write, what kind of paintings would come out from under the brush of Mozart. This helps develop associations that are atypical for the brain.

A great way to develop synesthesia is breathing practices. You can also try gymnastics for the eyes. The better the organs of perception work, the more feelings you are able to feel.

To give visual characteristics to smells, you can practice on strongly smelling objects. Close your eyes and alternately bring a clove or an orange, bread or tobacco, lavender or paints to your nose. Any objects that have a specific smell are suitable for the development of synesthesia. Give them visual or tactile characteristics. Something similar was described in Patrick Suskind's novel Perfumer. There the smell was not only olfactory perception, but color and tactile. This novel describes in detail all the features of the feelings of synesthetics.

To develop tactile sensations, collect a collection of objects that can be differentiated. Touch them, evoke other associations. A wine book or a description of dishes can contribute to the development of taste sensations. Such works most clearly represent taste perception, allow you to train this sense organ.

And finally, to become a synesthetic, you need to see beyond superficial feelings. For example, we perceive sound too roughly, without focusing on shades. Even the silence in the apartment is not uniform, it is filled with the maximum number thinner and more subtle sounds. Try to recognize them, to hear.

The phenomenon of synesthesia is not just a feature of perception, it is a new way of looking at the world. Today more and more more people discover this phenomenon. It is likely that synesthesia is rapidly spreading across the planet, transmitted at the genetic level. Either humanity is moving to a new stage, actively using all the senses for perception. Ask yourself questions more often, how does the sound smell, what color is Monday, what is the smell of strawberry jam to the touch. It is likely that you will be able to discover and nurture a synesthetic in yourself.

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