IndexSynesthesia: a synesthesia of colorsWhat is synesthesia?The science of synesthesiaLife with synesthesiaTypes of synesthesiaSynesthesia in everyday life Synesthesia: a synesthesia of colorsThe five senses are the basis of human life and interaction with the universe. Sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell are considered vital to the daily life processes of every living creature on the planet. Each of the senses has their own individual barriers between each other, and the absence of one sense has the potential to significantly hinder daily functioning. If it is true that the senses are separate, we must question the effects of a conjunction of the senses rather than a loss. Would this hinder or enhance normal functioning? This conjunction of senses, in addition to the answer, is in the palm of those who suffer from synesthesia, a rare neurological condition experienced by approximately one in two thousand people. However, the term "obstacle" does not apply to this scenario: rather, synesthesia is a gift. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay What is synesthesia? Synesthesia is roughly defined as “an involuntary secondary reaction triggered by an initial sensory reaction, or in which the actual perception of one sense is accompanied by a perception in another sense (as defined by SynesthesiaTest.org).” In fact, a reaction or perception of one sense, such as sight, taste or hearing, triggers in the mind of the affected person a second sensory reaction that is both involuntary and abnormal. Any of the five senses can be affected or any combination of two or more senses. This results in some pretty fascinating reactions that may seem strange to imagine: synesthetes can perceive letters and numbers as colors, tastes as various sounds, sounds as assorted geometric shapes, or even physically feel the pain or pleasure inflicted on another. Synesthetes are not as obvious to detect as, for example, patients suffering from schizophrenia, depression or numerous other neurological/mental disorders, and experience strange symptoms Synesthesia include irregular sensory experiences, simple and objective sensations, involuntary and automatic perception, and consistent triggers for reactions. Additionally, synesthetes typically possess above-average levels of intelligence, poor sense of direction, difficulty distinguishing rights and rights, strong or photographic memories, obsessions with perfection or OCD in general, chronic headaches, and occasionally even a stronger than average vulnerability to tickling. The science of synesthesia The cause of synesthesia is unknown, but is thought to be related to an incomplete separation of sense signal transmitters in the brain during fetal development, resulting in mismatched commands from different senses . The condition is not often called a disease or even a disorder and is not yet specifically understood by medical experts. Although synesthesia is considered relatively rare, fully manifesting in only about one in two thousand people, synaesthetic traits (occasionally referred to as pseudo-synesthesia) have been found to occur as frequently as one in twenty-seven people, more commonly in children than to adults. Synesthesia appears more often in women than men by an astonishing 6:1 ratio and has various methods of development. Synesthesia is most commonly found to appear as a result of heredity, generated as a result of synesthetic genetics. Additionally, these genetics tend to be strongerin left-handed and right-handed people. Synesthesia can also develop following injuries or accidents that affect the brain, and synesthetic experiences can be had while under the influence of hallucinogenic drugs, although the latter is quite rare. Natural synesthesia develops very early in life and is observed to be present as early as the age of four months in the mind of a synesthete. Unfortunately, synesthesia can hypothetically be lost. The disappearance of synesthesia is typically attributed to lesions that directly affect the brain or mismatched senses (e.g., lesions that cause color blindness, deafness, etc.). According to research by psychologist Oliver Sacks, synesthesia is based on the conjunction of the senses to transmit sensory experiences themselves. Because of this, the destruction or alteration of the affected senses can also alter the Synesthesia itself. This can profoundly shake the way of life of a given synesthete who is suddenly deprived of these experiences: the world can be perceived very differently, and the strange new alteration of the senses can cause difficulties with particular functions (such as reading without colors, tasting without sounds, etc.) for a certain period of time. Many synesthetes would likely have much more difficulty with the fields of art if they relied on their synesthetic experiences to help them. Life itself can even lose meaning, in some scenarios. Life with Synesthesia The life of a synesthete is more complex than you might think. The vast majority of synesthetes do not see their condition as an obstacle: rather, for most, it is a gift. Since many synesthetes are extremely creative (this is also considered a trait of synesthesia), their so-called gift helps them in their endeavors involving the visual and performing arts. Many synesthetes become culinary experts, musicians, and artists later in their lives, aided by their synesthetic experiences in everyday life. The biggest (and often only) problem presented to synesthetes on a daily basis is the headaches and sensory overload that can occasionally result from series of synesthesia experiences. Synesthetes may also sometimes feel “off” because of their condition: synesthesia is perhaps one of the most difficult experiences to relate to and can be difficult to imagine from a non-synesthete's perspective. Therefore, many synesthetes choose not to share their experiences and may not realize that they are affected by synesthesia for much of their lives. Synesthetic children are the prime example of this, as they often see nothing abnormal or irregular in the sensory mixing and matching that occurs in their heads. Many assume that other children and adults experience the same sensations as they do. Types of Synesthesia Because there are numerous possible combinations of sensual stimuli and sensory experiences that can occur as a result of synesthesia, the list of branches and variations of synesthesia continues to grow today. The most common type of synesthesia is grapheme-color synesthesia, in which the synesthete perceives letters and numbers as colors. What appears to the average person as a typical word can be visualized as a rainbow to a synesthete with grapheme-color synesthesia. However, synesthetes do not visually perceive these colors projected onto the words and letters themselves: synesthetes obtain these sensations in their mind's eye, in the same way one would "see" an image or color when told to imagine one a. A similar reaction also occurs with the other four senses, as synesthetes do not legitimately hear or taste each other's sounds or tastes as a result of acertain reaction. Other types of synesthesia include, but are by no means limited to the following: Object Personification Synesthesia (in which objects take on specific traits and emotions in the synesthete's mind), Musical Taste Synesthesia (in which the synesthete can "taste" various sounds and notes), Personality-Color Synesthesia (where the personalities of others take on colors, often perceived as “auras”) and even Mirror Touch Synesthesia (where the synesthete physically feels the pain or pleasure inflicted on another simply by looking) . Although color-grapheme synesthesia is the most common, any branch related to the sense of taste is considered the rarest of all varieties of Synesthesia. Synesthetes may have fixed associations with certain colors, sounds, or tastes along with certain triggers (i.e., one such synesthete may always perceive the number five as yellow, or the key of D minor as cold or icy), and may feel that other associations that conflicts with one's fixations are "abnormal" or "wrong". While these fixations are not necessarily always present, those that are have been found to date back to the birth or initial development of Synesthesia itself. Synesthesia in Everyday Life As previously stated, synesthetes are very successful in the visual and performing arts and often make a successful living in the arts in general. Famous synesthetes include Lady Gaga, Marilyn Monroe, Vincent Van Gogh, Frank Lloyd Wright, Billy Joel, and Van Halen. Synesthesia, even from a non-synesthete's perspective, also has its uses: Synesthesia is commonly implemented as a literary device, mostly in poetry. In literature, synesthesia takes on a different and yet quite similar meaning to its namesake. Literary synesthesia combines the senses and sensory experiences in ways that would not normally be written: instead of saying a sentence like "the chocolate cake tasted soft and moist," the implementation of synesthesia would convert that sentence into something along the lines of "the chocolate cake tasted like twilight and pale moonlight. This integrates a sensory discrepancy similar to what might be perceived by a synesthete, comparing a flavor to a completely unrelated sense. The most common example of synesthesia in literature is the personification of colors as temperatures. Typically, colors at the lighter end of the spectrum (such as yellow, red, orange, green, pink, etc.) are perceived as warm, while colors at the darker ends (blue) , purple, black, etc.) are perceived as being warm or cold. This is not to be confused with personification, where traits rather than sensory experiences are attributed to one or more inanimate objects. However, synesthesia and personification often crop up alongside each other in literature. Several famous authors use synesthesia in poetry as it is: Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven" uses synesthesia as a literary device. One such stanza is as follows: “And the silken, sad, uncertain rustle of each purple curtain thrilled me – filled me with fantastic terrors I had never felt before.” While not obvious, the verse gives the purple curtains a “sad and uncertain” quality that would otherwise not be deployed under normal circumstances. Emily Dickinson's "Hope Is The Thing With Feathers" uses synesthesia more heavily. The main example of this is found in a specific verse: “And the sweetest is felt in the storm; and the storm must be violent, which might shock the little bird that has kept so many people warm. This is a pretty interesting combination of synesthesia and personification in itself. Throughout the poem, hope is personified as a bird singing, while.