Expert Article (Draft)

   What if someone were to pose questions like what color is the C major chord on a guitar? What does the word ‘fancy’ taste like? Do triangles smell fruity? These may seem like absurd and illogical questions, but to some, they have clear answers. Senses exist as separate entities for most individuals, making it nearly impossible to describe the ‘taste of a particular shape.’ To a select portion of the population, however, senses are conjoined. This neurological phenomenon is dubbed ‘Synesthesia.’ In scientific terms, synesthesia is a neurological disorder in which two or more senses are activated simultaneously. The purpose of this article is to outline the science behind this neurological condition and discuss potential theories debating synesthesia as science or simply disillusion.

    The term ‘synesthesia’ originates from the Greek words ‘syn’ meaning together, ‘esthetia’ meaning sensations, and together describing “sensations that come together” (Carpenter, 2001). Although no concrete evidence of synesthesia exists, synesthetic “motifs and ideas” were seen to be embedded in ancient Greek culture (Gorvetzian, 2013). During the post-Renaissance era, the Pythagoreans constructed instruments that would produce ‘color music.’ Pythagoras is believed to have recorded details of this unusual combination, describing the Pythagoreans’ goal of pairing a particular color to certain musical notes (Berman, 1999). The first documented scientific reports for synesthesia emerged in the early 1800s under Dr. George Sachs. In 1812, Sachs depicts his personal experiences with synesthetic perceptions as follows:

“I cannot express it better than to say that a colored idea appears to him...Particularly those things which forms a simple series; e.g., numbers, the days of the week, the time periods of history and of human life, the letters of the alphabet, intervals of the musical scale, and other such similar things, adopt those colors (Sachs, 1812).”

    Despite the groundbreaking scientific descriptions detailed by Dr. Sachs (and many other early cases of synesthesia), his efforts did not prompt any significant interest among the public or the scientific community. The prevailing thought dismissed these neurological phenomena as isolated hallucinations that were contrary to the well-established theory on the distinct nature of the five separate human senses. The condition was classified as ‘abnormal’ preventing potential synesthetes from coming forward out of fear of being ridiculed, thus limiting research even further. Due to the lack of interest, research remained scarce until the late 1990s.

        Growing interest following 1990 research prompted the International Conference of Physiological Psychology to closely examine the condition and eventually led to its designation as the present-day term ‘synesthesia’ (1889). The recognition was a significant milestone as it marked the first time synesthesia was internationally acknowledged (Jewanski 2020). However, just as synesthesia was gaining proper recognition, the emergence of behaviorist theory in the early 1900s destroyed all momentum. Behaviorism expels the notion of internal experience, reducing all learning and behavior to relations with external stimuli. Scientists during this era focused on experiments involving conditioning, reinforcing the principle that internal ideas and emotions are immeasurable. Synesthesia, being an internal (neurological) condition, was inherently incompatible with the scientific approaches of the era (Gorvetzian, 2013). Consequently, all scientific interest and research in the field of synesthesia ceased to exist for several decades.

    As briefly mentioned before, synesthetic perceptions tend to vary among individuals making it challenging to categorize and classify different types of synesthesia. There are numerous combinations of sensual triggers and experiences that transpire due to synesthesia and the number of variations continues to grow as research continues. For example, grapheme-color synesthesia. This form of synesthesia occurs when an individual perceives a particular color when viewing a letter and/or number. The perception of color appears in the mind’s eye, similar to how ordinary individuals visualize a color when told to imagine one. Object personification synesthesia occurs when objects take on a particular trait and/or emotion in the mind of the synesthete; music-taste synesthesia occurs when an individual associates certain sounds and notes with a specific taste; mirror-touch synesthesia occurs when an individual can sense and feel another person’s pain or pleasure by simply observing the emotion. The rarest forms of synesthesia are those that involve varieties with the intertwining of the sensation of taste. Despite the numerous variations of synesthesia, there exists the commonality that an individual’s concurrent perception does not decline or change over time.

    

    Aside from essentially having a real-life superpower, those with synesthesia were found to have increased memory capabilities with their associated type of synesthesia. For example, those with grapheme-color synesthesia (can see letters as certain colors) tested better on vocabulary tests than others who could not. The benefits extend beyond the classroom, however. For musicians, like Billy Joel, it helps them associate certain musical genres and moods with colors. According to Joel, he is "very fond" of his chromesthesia, and convinced it has played a large part in inspiring his musical work and creativity. 

   After outlining this comprehensive understanding of the neurological phenomenon of synesthesia, it can be concluded that it is imperative for neurologists to develop more advanced technology and research methods to better assess the nature of this perception disorder. Given the numerous theories behind the ambiguous causations of the condition, it may even be possible that there is not a single classification for why synesthesia occurs. Perhaps, depending on the type of synesthesia experienced by the individual, there exist different conditions in the genetic structure that result in the phenomena. Despite the doubt, however, the current empirical research proves synesthesia to be a real condition that can only be understood further with continuous research efforts.