I can taste the colors I see?

Question

Why is this happening?

Answer 1

What you are experiencing is called synesthesia.

Synesthesia (also spelled synæsthesia or synaesthesia, plural synesthesiae) -- from the Greek syn- meaning union and aesthesis meaning sensation -- is a neurological condition in which two or more bodily senses are coupled. In the most common form of synesthesia, known as grapheme → color synesthesia, letters or numbers are perceived as inherently colored, while in ordinal linguistic personification, numbers, days of the week and months of the year evoke personalities. In spatial-sequence, or number form synesthesia, numbers, months of the year, and/or days of the week elicit precise locations in space. (For example, 1980 may be "farther away" than 1990), or may have a three-dimensional view of a year as a map (clockwise or counterclockwise).

While cross-sensory metaphors are sometimes described as "synesthetic," true neurological synesthesia is involuntary and occurs in slightly more than four percent of the population (1 in 23 persons) across its range of variants (Simner et al. in press). It runs strongly in families, possibly inherited as an X-linked dominant trait. Synesthesia is also sometimes reported by individuals under the influence of psychedelic drugs, after stroke or as a consequence of blindness or deafness. Synesthesia that arises from such non-genetic events is referred to as adventitious synesthesia to distinguish it from the more common congenital forms of synesthesia. Adventitious synesthesia involving drugs or stroke (but not blindness or deafness) apparently only involves sensory linkings such as sound → vision or touch → hearing; there are few if any reported cases involving culture-based, learned sets such as graphemes, lexemes, days of the week, or months of the year.

Although synesthesia was the topic of intensive scientific investigation in the late 1800s and early 1900s, it was largely abandoned in the mid-20th century, and has only recently been rediscovered by modern researchers. Psychological research has demonstrated that synesthetic experiences can have measurable behavioral consequences, while functional neuroimaging studies have identified differences in patterns of brain activation (for a review see Hubbard & Ramachandran 2005).

Many people with synesthesia use their experiences to aid in their creative process, and many non-synesthetes have attempted to create works of art that may capture what it is like to experience synesthesia. Psychologists and neuroscientists study synesthesia not only for its inherent interest, but also for the insights it may give into cognitive and perceptual processes that occur in everyone, synesthete and non-synesthete alike.

Answer 2

The ignorance of the people answering your question is just amazing. Synesthesia (I can't spell it, but that's how it sounds) is well-known, and it's not an illness, and you don't need to see a doctor about it. You just have a special ability that most people lack. When I first heard of this many years ago, I tried to concentrate on the sounds of colors and things like that, but I don't have your gift, so it didn't work.

Enjoy your special sense, but judging by the reactions of the idiots here, you might be a little careful who you mention it to, or you might get more of the "you're weird/sick/high" stupidity. I'm envious of your gift!

Answer 3

Well, that happens when you take certain drugs, or if you were born with weird wiring. And by that I mean psychological wiring that interprets tastes and sight, sometimes wires get crossed so things you see you taste and things you taste you can see in forms of colors and shapes and things..

Answer 4

Actually that is a disorder if thats what you want to call it. Your brain associates multiple senses together. I can't remember what it is called, but there was a story about it on 20/20 or something. Don't listen to these idiots. People hear something weird and automaticall you are crazy or on crack or both. Ridiculous.

Answer 5

First of don't listen to any of these jerks

Second of: This is a disease.

The disorder is called Synethesia. What it is, is that it causes your senses to overlap in one way or another. It is a rare disorder, only about one in 25,000 people have it. But dont think of yourself as weird or anything, I think it's very cool that you are able to do this.
Think about it though, are you able to remember things alot better than other people, aren't you? Yeah, thats a upside effect of this disorder.

I hope I have helped you!

Answer 6

Ignore all of these people asking if you're on drugs.

I saw this phenomenon on Dateline a few weeks ago. This is a real thing...but very rare.

I think it's pretty cool, in my opinion.

Answer 7

You should feel honored. Apparently, Mozart could hear in colors, and look what it did for him.

Answer 8

this is accually a real condition, i forgot the name and people can hear colors,see sounds and this is real thing, its not anything that can hurt u

Answer 9

no way! i can see sound and my brother can taste feelings!!!

cuz were on w/e the hell you smoked before posting

Answer 10

this was on dateline medical mysteries. wohhw


nothing bad is happening it is just a special thing that you have going on.