What is Synesthesia?

The psychological phenomenon claims Kanye West, Lorde, Pharrell, and Dev Hynes as disciples. But is it as rare as we're led to believe?

View this video on YouTube

youtube.com

When Kanye West told Ellen DeGeneres he could "see sounds" in 2016, he was deadly serious. Kanye is part of the cult of synesthesia, a psychological phenomenon that counts geniuses like Pharrell, Lorde, Charli XCX, and Dev Hynes as members.

The definition is in the word itself: "syn" is from the ancient Greek word for together, and "aisthesis" is derived from the word sensation. What synesthetes claim is a co-mingling of senses—Kanye sees sounds, but there are plenty of variations, with equally complex names: lexical-gustatory synesthesia​ happens when sounds trigger certain tastes, and those afflicted/gifted with spatio-temporal synesthesia claim the ability to see time.

Famed author Vladimir Nabokov described his own synesthesia thusly: “As far back as I remember, I have been subject to mild hallucinations. Some are aural, others are optical, and by none have I profited much. In the brown group, there are the rich rubbery tone of soft g, paler j, and the drab shoelace of h. Among the red, b has the tone called burnt sienna by painters, m is a fold of pink flannel, and today I have at last perfectly matched v with ‘Rose Quartz’ in Maerz and Paul’s Dictionary of Color.”

It's hard to pin down exactly how, or why, synesthesia manifests. "It's like the universe," said Evan Shinners, a pianist and synesthete. "The more you try to pin it down, the more it keeps getting away." 

But interest in the subject has grown in recent years, as pop stars and civilians alike have come forward to share their experiences. Synesthesia has also exploded online, where ASMR videos draw millions of viewers. And yet, it remains an enigma. Scientific consensus eludes us, even while synesthesia goes mainstream. Check out our latest P&P video above to learn more, and check out Evan Shinners wonderfully weird music here.

 

latest_stories_pigeons-and-planes