Synesthesia - 1331 Words

Synesthesia: What We Know and Dont Know How many of us know what synesthesia is? What do we eat it with? How is it used or what is it used with. Well let me just tell you that synesthesia is a condition in which people have difficulty distinguishing between various sensory inputs. Synesthesia comes from two Greek words, syn, which means together, and aesthesis, which means perception. Therefore synesthesia literally means, Joined perception. Synesthesia is an involuntary joining in which the real information of one sense is accompanied by a perception in another sense.(web.mit.edu) In addition to being involuntary, this additional perception is regarded by the synesthete as real, often outside the body, instead of imagined†¦show more content†¦Synesthesia tends to be in: a) women, in the US, studies show that three times as many women as men have synesthesia; in the UK, eight times as many women have been reported to have it and the reason for this difference is not known yet. b) Left-handed: synesthetes are mo re likely to be left-handed than the general population. c) Neurologically normal: synesthetes are of normal intelligence, and standard neurological exams are normal. d) It can also run in the same family: synesthesia appears to be inherited in some fashion; it seems to be a dominant trait and it may be on the X-chromosome. But no only non-famous people have synesthesiaÂ…no also famous people have this disorder. Famous people that we might not have heard of or might not ever seen before have synesthesia. People like Vasily Kandinsky, a painter, Oliver Messiaen, a composer, Charles Baudetaire, a poet, Franz Liszt, a composer, Arthur Rimbaud, a poet, and Richard Phillips Feynman, a physicist. Some of these artists barely even know that they have synesthesia and the reason we know that is because they express it in their artwork and others do know they have synesthesia. How could we know if we are going to have or how we got synesthesia? There is a biological explanation for having synesthesia. Some scientists believe that synesthesia results from crossed-wiring in the brain. (wearcam.org) There is a hypothesis, which isShow MoreRelatedEssay on Synesthesia2675 Words   |  11 Pagesdifferent from most. Synesthesia is a perceptual bonus or condition, not a disease for those who experience it; I believe the condition should be more widely explained and understood by the general populous and res ources made available to the people to see if they are Synesthetes. This can be done by examining how synesthesia works, the abilities of mirror neurons, what and how synesthetes feel, what qualifies a person to be synesthetic, and my personal experiences with synesthesia. If the general populationRead MoreHistory of Synesthesia Essay examples1781 Words   |  8 PagesHistory of Synethesia July 11,2006 History of Synesthesia Synesthesia has been known to medicine for almost three hundred years. After interest peaked between 1860 and 1930, it was forgotten, because psychology and neurology were premature sciences. Psychological theory was full with associations, and concepts of nervous tissue were insignificant. Subjective experience, such as synesthesia, was believed not a proper subject for scientific study.(pg3) Synesthesias history is interestingRead MoreEssay on What Is Synesthesia?1005 Words   |  5 PagesNeurological disease known as Synesthesia is not present. Synesthesia is Greek for â€Å"syn=together and aisthesis=perception† (Cytowic, 1995) and by definition means â€Å"joined sensations† (Ciccarelli White, 2012, p.88), meaning that two of peoples 5 senses are connected together. Normally this is a fusion of sound and sight, but this can also include taste, touch, and smell for some people. Let’s delve deeper and learn more about what Synesthesia is exactly. Synesthesia was first discovered in 1812 andRead MoreThe Multi Layered Nature Of Synesthesia1840 Words   |  8 PagesCentral University in Taiwan describes his neurological condition called synesthesia.1 Synesthesia is a neurological condition in which the stimulation of one sense is automatically accompanied by a second sense. There are many different types of synesthesia ranging from grapheme-color synesthesia, associating letter and numbers with colors, to spatial sequence synesthesia, associating numerical sequences to points in space. Synesthesia is a complex condition that is not fully yet understood but has a complexRead MoreEssay on Commonality of Synesthesia Induced by Serotonin732 Words   |  3 PagesThe study of synesthesia has grown exponentially over the past few decades and as a result there is some level of ambiguity as to the scope of what defines it. Gail Martino and Lawrence Mark propose that synesthesia can be categorized into strong or weak. The former refers to those who experience â€Å"a vivid image in one sensory in response to stimulation in another†, whereas the latter is characterized as â€Å"cross-sensory correspondence[s] expressed through language, perceptual similarity and perceptualRead MoreSenses Are Important For Everyday Life Essay1316 Words   |  6 Pagesworld very differently than the average person. Those people have a condition called synesthesia. The word synesthesia means union of the senses (WC #4). Synesthesia is a condition where one sense is perceived simultaneously with another sense. It can involve any of the senses, and can join objects such as letters, shapes and numbers with a sense perception such as color, taste, or smell (WC #1). Synesthesia is not a perception that happens only one way. In can vary in many different forms; itRead More Synaesthesia Essay1957 Words   |  8 Pagesknown as learned association. For example, childrens books may be written in different colour text and so the child learns to associate certain words with colours and this can become automatic, (http://www.macalester.edu/~psych/whathap/UBNRP/synesthesia/pseudo.html). What Causes Synaesthesia ======================== Although not yet fully understood and until recently considered to be amusing yet unimportant, there have been a few different claims on what causes synaesthesia. Dr. SimonRead MoreComparing Synesthesia And The Bower Essay2303 Words   |  10 PagesSynesthesia and the Bower: An Analysis of â€Å"Ode to a Nightingale† by John Keats Filled with sensorial imagery, John Keats’s use of the senses in â€Å"Ode to a Nightingale† leads to synesthetic description in order to convey what he is feeling and what he is imagining. This poem is based in a desire for escape and this is achieved through an imaginative bower in the speaker’s mind. The speaker is taken to this bower â€Å"on the viewless wings of Poesy† (Ode 928) whose song has put him into such a sublimeRead MoreSynesthesia And Music And Understanding The Mechanisms2011 Words   |  9 PagesAbstract: Synesthesia is a phenomenon in which one sense or part of the body is stimulated by another sense or part of the body. For example, certain sounds or visuals can stimulate and be related to colors, textures or smells. This article primarily focuses on synesthesia and music and understanding the mechanisms in the brain that allow certain people to see colors when listening or playing music. This review will also reference and analysis research that has been conducted on synesthesia in the brainRead MoreThree Types Of Synesthesia As A Phenomenon2315 Words   |  10 PagesSynesthesia is a phenomenon in which one sense or part of the body is stimulated by another sense or part of the body. For example, certain sounds or visuals can stimulate and be related to colors, textures or smells. There are many types of synesthesia that has been identified and studied by researchers dating back to ancient Greece and classified in the early 19th century. In this paper, three types of synesthesia w ill be studied: grapheme/color synesthesia synesthesia, color/sound synesthesia