Synesthesia is a neurological condition where your brain processes information through several senses at the same time. But, who has it and what does it feel like?

What is it
Synesthesia has different types. One of the most common synesthesia types is grapheme-color synesthesia, where a person sees numbers in color. Another notable type of synesthesia is conceptual synesthesia. In this type of synesthesia, a person sees abstract concepts, like mathematical operations and units, as shapes floating in space.

Currently, there are 60 identified types of synesthesia. Some of the different synesthesia types include:

• Smelling different scents while also hearing certain sounds
• Seeing music as different colors
• Seeing colors when in pain
• Associating time with physical characteristics
• Tasting words

Who has this condition
Synesthesia is an uncommon condition. According to the American Psychological Association, this condition occurs in one per 2000 people. Psychology reports that 20 - 25% of musicians, writers, and artists have this condition. Famous artists with Synesthesia include pop singer Lorde, writer Vladimir Nabokov, and painter Wassily Kandinsky.

What causes it 
Research studies have not yet pinpointed the exact cause of this condition. However, experts have thrown out their personal theories on this matter.

Simon Baron-Cohen, a researcher at the University of Cambridge, theorizes that synesthesia is a result of an overabundance of neural connections. Each sense has an assigned module in the brain that is separate from each other. But, with people with synesthesia, these modules are interconnected.

Peter Grossenbacher, a psychologist at Naropa University in Colorado, proposes another theory. In his theory, synesthesia is caused when the feedback from multisensory areas gets jumped on the way to single-sense areas in the brain. 

Daphne Maurer, a psychologist at McMaster University in Ontario, has another theory. According to her, synesthesia occurs when a person uses all their sensory connections. People without synesthesia do not use all these connections, but they have an option to do it.

However, there is also another theory that is suggested by a survey of 11,000 college students conducted in 2017. According to the results of this survey, people who have different linguistic backgrounds are more prone to developing synesthesia.

What does it feel like
For a person who doesn’t have synesthesia, it is quite difficult to understand this condition. After all, most of us can’t imagine what words taste like or see the colors of each number. Thankfully David Eagleman, a neuroscientist at the Baylor College of Medicine, has the perfect analogy to explain this condition.

When you see a photo of President Barrack Obama, your brain makes a connection to the name “President Barrack Obama.” Even if there’s no name on the photo, you just know that the person in the photo is President Barrack Obama.

The same goes for people with synesthesia. It just so happens that their brains make connections to different things, like colors to numbers and tastes to words.

It is important to note that synesthesia isn’t a form of hallucination. As Eagleman points out, a person with synesthesia may picture a giant orange pumpkin in front of them. However, this visualization doesn’t affect their sight and grasp of reality.

 Sources:
https://www.mnn.com/health/fitness-well-being/stories/what-is-synesthesia-and-whats-it-like-to-have-it
https://www.livescience.com/60707-what-is-synesthesia.html

Contributed by: Allison Julianne Macasaet
Allison is a freelance writer on the side, a student of international relations on the other. Interests include fantasy books, international relations, and lifestyle.