I have synaesthesia too. Years ago when I had a small business making fruit liqueur I used to draw the flavours. It engaged customers well, even if they were not synaesthetes themselves. I thought everyone was the same until I was at a food and drink festival sampling coffees, and said to the vendor, This one is fluffy and that one is spiky. She looked baffled so I drew them 😊
Yay! A fellow synesthete. It can feel lonely sometimes! I have lexical-gustatory synesthesia, a rare type. I taste and smell words. Your name, David, is chocolate fudge. At school author visits, I always provide the teacher with a roster of what each student's name makes me taste or smell. It's my superpower, I tell them. And I really think it is! Sometimes, there's texture to it, too. You and I seem to enjoy the creative boost it gives our art. Thanks for sharing!
This is remarkable Sherrill. I'm a little nervous about what my name is...having been hampered by a "boring little" name my entire life. What a gift you must be to listeners and those students. Superpower indeed.
I am a psychiatrist and learned Synesthesia is more of a pathological symptom…and not a sensory gift so….this was a surprise and a delight to read. I love colors as colors and scents as scents and in my structured medical way of thinking…I would have been terrified if I can smell colors and see scents…until I read this. Glad your Substack was suggested to me.
I have to disagree, I would think that what calculus is to maths is what synesthesia is to colors smells and numbers. It helps you make so much sense of the world in a way which neurotypicals cannot. It's like opening up a extra dimension of understanding, an enhanced way of experiencing the world.
I see numbers as colors. For example 3 is yellow, 8 is green. And then 11 is a mix of the two of them - so hard to explain. But 4 is orange and 7 is blue which is also 11 but is a much 'sharper' 11. A yellow and green 11 is much rounder and fluffier. 40 years ago discovered that this was not common when my husband and I were newly married and watching the Packers play the Broncos. I remarked that it was odd that they both were 11 but one was sharper and the other fluffier. He looked at me like I was from Mars! I also see days of the week as colors. Tuesday is yellow, Thursday is narrow and Brownish/Green. Some months have colors as well. September is pink, April is yellow. I could go on and on. I love reading about this and hearing about other Synaesthesia experiences.
Makes sense to me, that is, 3+8 and 4+7 both makes 11 but different in how it emerges. How about 1 +3 and 2+2 and 0+4 being 4 and so forth. I'm intrigued by this.
It's like having Hyper Phantasia versus Aphantasia just in a different form. Please elaborate more on your unique experiences for example if you see colors does it make you see or hear numbers and what about the rainbow and have you ever watched a chameleon change colors?
One thing to keep in mind regarding synesthesia - the experience per individual is unique and subjective. There is no "orange" per se, as one has been taught orange to be. Not that a typical understanding of what is "orange" is not possible for a synesthete. But, I as a synesthete can tell you that in my experience, I might assign orange a character of what others might think typically as blue, including corresponding numbers! In my experience, I taste shapes, join color with numbers and letters, and see colors in music, and vocal sounds are aligned with food qualities. It's such a cool phenomenon.
I work in drama, and have always found that the structure of stories sounds like music when I'm reading. If there's a wrong note, then, there's something wrong with the way the story is working and patterned! I've always thought this might be along the same lines as synaesthesia????? It's proved useful to me in my job anyway!
Oh my goodness, you GET IT! I have synesthesia: music, specifically keys and chords are colors to me. It's challenging when the instrument or voice is out of tune.
I'm a music teacher and I have to remind myself with every lesson, not everyone has synesthesia, so I can't expect them to recognize that that chord isn't navy blue.
It seems to give you a visual insight to recognize false notes in music, like a extra dimension to observe. How do you experience a symphony, is it like strokes of color coming and going?
I see music in monochrome. Is that a handicap? Lol. It looks like silvery, shimmering strands, braids and embedded shapes to me, vaguely like musical notation in an endless stream. I mix color with graphemes, numbers, days, months, and the colors do help my recall. Your name is various shades of yellow and light brown.
I wonder if Triplal is the chemical that skewers my brain at the temples whenever I smell some of those grassy scents. I do so love them … but the headaches, not so much.
Also, loved the description of the monk’s robe as scent. Soooo vivid!
My numbers are different, except for 1, 6, and 10. But I wanted to ask you if similar-shaped letters are also a similar color, because mine are. The Cyrillic alphabet is similar to the Roman, except the dissimilar letters such as "ya" are hybrids.
I loved reading this so much! It really stretched my perspective on how interactive the senses can be— And how we can leverage our unique perspectives and experiences into crafting and sharing those senses with others.
What a vibrant departure from what I have been reading. I love it. I agree on Marigolds, do you know people plant them in gardens to repel aphids? apparently tomato worms don't like them either. Our senses are surely subtly turning our private worlds.
I wondered for a while if it was to do with the letters - like how sun and thur are both brown because of the mix of u and consonants, but I don’t get it with any other words, just days of the week. So it’s more of a vibe
I have synaesthesia too. Years ago when I had a small business making fruit liqueur I used to draw the flavours. It engaged customers well, even if they were not synaesthetes themselves. I thought everyone was the same until I was at a food and drink festival sampling coffees, and said to the vendor, This one is fluffy and that one is spiky. She looked baffled so I drew them 😊
Yep that all makes sense!
Such an interesting article! Thank you for writing it. Quite enjoyable.
thanks for the support - glad you dug it!
Yay! A fellow synesthete. It can feel lonely sometimes! I have lexical-gustatory synesthesia, a rare type. I taste and smell words. Your name, David, is chocolate fudge. At school author visits, I always provide the teacher with a roster of what each student's name makes me taste or smell. It's my superpower, I tell them. And I really think it is! Sometimes, there's texture to it, too. You and I seem to enjoy the creative boost it gives our art. Thanks for sharing!
wow that’s incredible. i feel i’m more caramel lol
Ah, the battle of the synesthetes!
hahahaha
This is remarkable Sherrill. I'm a little nervous about what my name is...having been hampered by a "boring little" name my entire life. What a gift you must be to listeners and those students. Superpower indeed.
Very interesting but now I'm curious to know, what does Bushy taste or smell like if I may?
Wheaties cereal with very cold milk!
Sounds cool
I am a psychiatrist and learned Synesthesia is more of a pathological symptom…and not a sensory gift so….this was a surprise and a delight to read. I love colors as colors and scents as scents and in my structured medical way of thinking…I would have been terrified if I can smell colors and see scents…until I read this. Glad your Substack was suggested to me.
thanks! it seems it can be for some people.
I have to disagree, I would think that what calculus is to maths is what synesthesia is to colors smells and numbers. It helps you make so much sense of the world in a way which neurotypicals cannot. It's like opening up a extra dimension of understanding, an enhanced way of experiencing the world.
What? I have learned the opposite. Please say more and state some studies to read. Thanks.
I see numbers as colors. For example 3 is yellow, 8 is green. And then 11 is a mix of the two of them - so hard to explain. But 4 is orange and 7 is blue which is also 11 but is a much 'sharper' 11. A yellow and green 11 is much rounder and fluffier. 40 years ago discovered that this was not common when my husband and I were newly married and watching the Packers play the Broncos. I remarked that it was odd that they both were 11 but one was sharper and the other fluffier. He looked at me like I was from Mars! I also see days of the week as colors. Tuesday is yellow, Thursday is narrow and Brownish/Green. Some months have colors as well. September is pink, April is yellow. I could go on and on. I love reading about this and hearing about other Synaesthesia experiences.
yeah i sniff that. the numbers thing for sure. pink September!
Makes sense to me, that is, 3+8 and 4+7 both makes 11 but different in how it emerges. How about 1 +3 and 2+2 and 0+4 being 4 and so forth. I'm intrigued by this.
It's like having Hyper Phantasia versus Aphantasia just in a different form. Please elaborate more on your unique experiences for example if you see colors does it make you see or hear numbers and what about the rainbow and have you ever watched a chameleon change colors?
Super article, I have synesthesia too. It’s mainly numbers & letters in colour, but I can sometimes smell & taste music.
Amazing!
One thing to keep in mind regarding synesthesia - the experience per individual is unique and subjective. There is no "orange" per se, as one has been taught orange to be. Not that a typical understanding of what is "orange" is not possible for a synesthete. But, I as a synesthete can tell you that in my experience, I might assign orange a character of what others might think typically as blue, including corresponding numbers! In my experience, I taste shapes, join color with numbers and letters, and see colors in music, and vocal sounds are aligned with food qualities. It's such a cool phenomenon.
I work in drama, and have always found that the structure of stories sounds like music when I'm reading. If there's a wrong note, then, there's something wrong with the way the story is working and patterned! I've always thought this might be along the same lines as synaesthesia????? It's proved useful to me in my job anyway!
sounds right. intuitive perception
Oh my goodness, you GET IT! I have synesthesia: music, specifically keys and chords are colors to me. It's challenging when the instrument or voice is out of tune.
That is so cool.
I'm a music teacher and I have to remind myself with every lesson, not everyone has synesthesia, so I can't expect them to recognize that that chord isn't navy blue.
Beautiful 🖌🎶🎵 💝
lol!
It seems to give you a visual insight to recognize false notes in music, like a extra dimension to observe. How do you experience a symphony, is it like strokes of color coming and going?
I see music in monochrome. Is that a handicap? Lol. It looks like silvery, shimmering strands, braids and embedded shapes to me, vaguely like musical notation in an endless stream. I mix color with graphemes, numbers, days, months, and the colors do help my recall. Your name is various shades of yellow and light brown.
So, no, the synesthesia doesn't help my sense of pitch, or anything, but I'll bet it really helps some people.
Or we do have synesthesia, but the chord isn't navy blue, but rather a monochrome shape, as in my case.
Totally agree.
I wonder if Triplal is the chemical that skewers my brain at the temples whenever I smell some of those grassy scents. I do so love them … but the headaches, not so much.
Also, loved the description of the monk’s robe as scent. Soooo vivid!
it prob is. it gets very pukey up close - trifernal even stronger
"numbering by color"
1 white
2 yellow
3 green
4 blue
5 red
6 also yellow
7 maybe teal
8 brown
9 purple
10 black (well, obviously)
very cool
Do you count in only numbers or can you count in colors as well like say red and blue equals purple?
My numbers are different, except for 1, 6, and 10. But I wanted to ask you if similar-shaped letters are also a similar color, because mine are. The Cyrillic alphabet is similar to the Roman, except the dissimilar letters such as "ya" are hybrids.
I loved reading this so much! It really stretched my perspective on how interactive the senses can be— And how we can leverage our unique perspectives and experiences into crafting and sharing those senses with others.
thanks Laura!
What a vibrant departure from what I have been reading. I love it. I agree on Marigolds, do you know people plant them in gardens to repel aphids? apparently tomato worms don't like them either. Our senses are surely subtly turning our private worlds.
makes sense.
My husband is a musician and he has this with sound - he sees it as colour. I cannot even imagine what that must be like! So cool.
My son has visual synesthesia. He sees letters in colors. A is always red, etc.
A does seem very red - wonder if it corresponds to being first
For some reason, grapheme-color synesthetes typically ascribe red to A, yellow to S, and black to Z. I know I do. Go figure!
This is interesting. I’ve always seen days of the week as colours
That is so cool - hit me with them. Thursday seems darker purple to me.
Monday - black
Tuesday - sky blue
Wednesday - yellow
Thursday - brown
Friday - red
Saturday - white
Sunday - brown
Very specific shades. Always been the case for my whole life. No clue why!
dude wow that’s amazing
I wondered for a while if it was to do with the letters - like how sun and thur are both brown because of the mix of u and consonants, but I don’t get it with any other words, just days of the week. So it’s more of a vibe