Synaesthesia: What does blue smell like?

Synaesthetes experience the world completely differently because they perceive much more than other people. They are neither under the influence of drugs nor do they suffer from hallucinations. But where does this come from? A single sensory stimulus triggers two or even several sensory perceptions in synaesthetes. For example, a synaesthete associates the scent of flowers with the
color
violet in the form of a three-dimensional cloud.

Synaesthesia as a special heritage

Researchers are still investigating the causes of this phenomenon. However, it is relatively certain that it is inherited. Synaesthesia occurs more frequently in families. It is also assumed that the ability is even more pronounced in children before it usually declines or is lost completely as they grow older. A newborn baby, for example, still has special nerve connections that usually begin to atrophy after just three months. Your special
ability
can also become a curse for synaesthetes: They suffer much more quickly from
sensory overload
than other people.

However, the gift of particularly intense sensory perception is usually perceived as positive. Because most synaesthetes do not recognize their ability as something particularly remarkable – after all, the coupled sensory impressions are a matter of course for them – there is also no exact figure as to how many they are. But what does blue actually smell like? There is no general answer to this question, as every synaesthete has their own special and highly individual associations.

For some synaesthetes, music is colorful

One of the most common forms of synesthesia is sound-color synesthesia. This means that a synaesthete associates certain sounds with certain colors and perceives these colors when they hear the corresponding sounds.

Harmonies and tones can also be associated with colors in tone-color synesthesia. For a synaesthete, E major can sound green, A major red and C major yellow, but which colors are associated with which sounds varies and is an individual experience for each synaesthete.