Synesthesia

If I hear or see the number "7," I associate it with the color red. "B" is blue. "C" is yellow. I think the reason why I see particular colors with letters and numbers is due to those multi-colored letter and number magnets that my folks had on the fridge to help me spell. Do you put letters or numbers with colors? How about words or sounds with tastes?
So, what is "Synesthesia?" It, to me, first sounded like some weird form of Amnesia or something. Instead it is a rare condition where subjects actually associate colors with numbers or letters. Or they could link tastes with words. Essentially it is a combining of the senses that are VERY real to those who have this condition.
I just watched a documentary on this on the Science Channel called "When Senses Collide." It was FASCINATING! They talked with a woman who would look at a sign or a billboard and all the letters, even though they were white or black to the regular person, they were all their own vibrant color. This extended to words which had their own color as well.
Another man would hear or read words that he would associate with tastes. If he ever met a man named "Derek," he would associate that name with the taste of ear wax. Perhaps at one time he met a Derek that left a bad taste in his mouth. (Sorry, I couldn't resist.) They soon found that it was more sounds than words that he associated with taste. The words "Light," "Bright" and "Might" all tasted like soy sauce to him.
They also talked to a man who went blind at some point in his life. He put words that fell into sequences with colors. Words such as numbers or days of the week had their own color, but other regular words did not. He would get a flash of white when you said "Monday."
They gave him an M.R.I. to study his brain waves while hearing certain words. During regular words, the only areas of his brain that were extremely active were the sides of the brain near the ears associated with sound. However, once numbers were introduced, portions of the back of the brain, which control sight, were illuminated showing that he did, in fact, see something when these words were spoken.
Being that the man was blind, this offered a great deal of validity to his story and this condition. To have these areas of the brain fire for a blind man is close to miraculous. Perhaps once more is understood about Synesthesia, those who are blind or deaf could use their other senses to build up a virtual representation of the lost sense. Although, that would be a very extreme future possibility.
Think of the numbers 1 through 10. Most people put them in sequential order from left to right. It is the most logical way to visualize all of these numbers at the same time. Plus, we read from left to right. I wonder if someone of a different culture who reads differently would do the same way. (I think it is because my kindergarden teacher had the numbers above the blackboard that way!) There is a woman who sees 1-10 as small blocks in front of her at all times. 11-20 are layered upon them and so forth to 100. Then just to the right of these stacked blocks begins 200-300 in the same manner all the way to 1000 and beyond.
Why is this occurring? One theory is that this is a way for many to be able to visualize and/or cope with a very complex world. Math is all around us. We have built extreme structures that reach the sky and this could explain the number blocks. The woman who sees them is not an architect, but does use the blocks to be sure she gets the proper change back.
Another theory is that this is the culmination of generations of speech development. When we were living in caves, it was a series of grunts that got a point across. Over many years, we developed the complex language that we have today. And even the common man confuses sensory concepts with non-sensory. This is done nearly every day in metaphors.
The writings of the poet, song writer, playwright and other creative people are able to decode complex ideas and feelings into playful and descriptive words using our vast English language. When someone says that it is bitter cold, we know that this has nothing to do with taste, but just becomes a better way to let someone know that they are going to freeze outside. Should a good friend say that their heart is breaking, we don't run for the defibrillators or call a cardiologist. Instead we know that they have just been dumped or something.
A scientist in California took two shapes to the beach. They were each roughly a foot and a half in diameter and orange. One looked like a cloud. It had very rounded edges. The other looked like a "New and Improved" sign on a bottle of detergent. It had jagged, sharp edges to it. He told people that one was a "Kiki" and the other a "Boola" and asked them which was which.
Majority of people said the sharper object was the "Kiki" and that the more rounded shape was a "Boola." You may have thought the same thing while I was setting the scenario up.
Say to yourself (Or if you are with people, feel free to look at them and say this to them.) "tiny" and "large." Notice your mouth as you say these words. The mouth barely needs to open for "tiny," yet for "large" you may open it nearly all the way.
The way we associate words with the things they describe may be more linked to the senses than we realize. What I wish they had gone into more was sound waves. Due to my radio experience, I am always able to visualize words in sound-wave form. (I don't do it all the time, but I can switch it on when I want to. I usually do it when I start to get bored with a conversation.) Hard concidents are represented in sharp spikes in the sound wave. However, soft sounds such as vowels are low and have a more rounded approach.
Perhaps there is a link between the actual sound wave and the way we interpret it. Maybe we are all able to see these waves on a more subconscious level which would explain why we gave things the titles that they currently have.
I know this is somewhat of a tangent, but I just discovered an awesome article on the Science Network's main page. We all had assumed that the first recording of the human voice was Edison singing "Mary Had A Little Lamb" in 1877. However, voice was recorded earlier in 1860 by the French. They sang (you guessed it) "Au Clair de la Lune." My favorite.
However, we are able to play back Edison's recording. We were not able to play back the French's recording. It was put onto paper in a wave-form. This wave-form was re-created recently and was able to be heard again just recently. If you want more, you can click here for the article and the ability to download an MP3 of the first ever recording. (How strange is that. A 150 year old MP3?!)
Anyway, back to the original topic. We all know people that talk with their hands. This may be a very loose combination of the way we combine the intangible with the tangible. It doesn't quite fall into the category of Synesthesia, but does show a correlation between words and actions. Some say that the part of the brain that connects speech is linked slightly to the part of the brain that deals with movement. Some people have a greater connection than others.
This brings me to something that has fascinated me for a few years now, Nero Linguistic Programing. Or NLP or the study of body language. We have all heard that 80% of what we say is in body language. I don't know if the number should be that high, but body language is SO VERY vital. The way one sits, either straight, slouched or leaning back can tell you a great deal about them immediately. If they slouch, you may already infer that they don't have a great deal of self-confidence. If they are sitting straight up, perhaps they are a bit ridged. If they lean back, they may be disinterested in the conversation they are having or just relaxed in their environment.
And this is just how they sit. There is a fun exercise at parties or group situations where you may have a one on one conversation with someone. Look at their toes. The number of toes they have pointed at you can tell you how interested they are in you. If you only have one foot, you need to be more interesting. If you have no toes, you need to write out some interesting stories before you leave the house. However, if all ten are in your direction, you have completely engaged the person you have having a conversation with. (Just think about the different body positions and how they make you feel in a conversational setting. Just based on what you read already can tell you a great deal about how true this really is.
We are also mimics. Have you ever taken a sip from your drink to see that majority, if not all, of you friends do the same thing. Or if you are with a bunch of smokers, if one lights up, many do? It is, somewhat sub-conscious, social conforming. Guys, if you want to find out if a woman is checking you out, look at your watch. If she does the same thing, she is trying to gain some sort of connection with you through body language. Sometimes people will do this even though they don't have a watch on. It is great fun to try at bars. It doesn't always work, but when it does, it is fascinating.
Why is body language so important? Perhaps while we were in the early stages of our language, body language was even more vital to communication than actual speaking. Maybe this still lingers within the sub-conscious mind. If we wished to be successful in the hunt, perhaps thinking as one and being a part of the group was important to survival against dangerous game.
I know I have jumped all over the place, but I can't help but think that all of this is linked somehow. I will continue looking into this and offer any insights to anyone who is still reading. (Which I doubt is very many at this point.)