hello,
pple with synesthesia have extraodinary senses. they could
include:
1. Sensory VS. taste - a particular person experiences a bitter
taste in his mouth (taste) while he shapes hamburger patties in his
hands (sensory)
2. Auditory VS visual: while playing the C# note on the piano
(auditory) the person sees a tint of blue (visual); other notes
would make her see other colours. therefore if she listens to
music, yes, she will see many different colours going on and
off
3. Visual VS colour: while looking at black printed numbers
(visual), this person can see them in colour. E.g. while presented
a black 7, the person sees a red colour.
these are some of the examples of synesthesia. it is not a medical
condition, as the person's well-being is normal, and can carry on
with day-to-day functions. i have not encountered them before, but
got these from journals and psychologists who made studies on
them.
some call Synethesia: pple who can blend senses together.
reasons why they happen are still a mystery, though some studies
have been made. E.g. of some of the reasons (not proven
though):
1. through learning and conditioning: associating colour with
visual stimuli, till it becomes a non-thinking situation (happens
naturally)
2.somatosensory cortex (in e brain) that are v close to each other
can affect one another. hence a so called false activation of other
senses.
3. just like how the olfactor bulb (sense of smell) can triger of
memories, e.g this stranger who is using a particular scent passes
u, u regconize it and immediately reminds u of ur bf/gf. this
analogy is used to explain pple with syntaesthesia - pple w other
methods of triggering different senses.
