2010-01-02 23:54![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
melluransa
melluransaSynesthesia is a neurologically based phenomenon in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway.
In my opinion, there is explicit synesthesia (officially "diagnosed" synesthetes) and weaker synesthesia that the rest of us experience. The brain is a network of association, and it all links to itself. Synesthetes just have it stronger than most. Why?
If you named these shapes, which would be Bouba and which would be Kiki? It's obvious, even when you ask many people, even young children; Kiki is spiky and Bouba is rounded. Involuntarily, you're associating the harsh and "sharp" /k/ sound with the spiky shape, and the softer, "rounder" sound of /b/ with the blobby one. "...stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway." So we all have synesthesia!
In my opinion, there is explicit synesthesia (officially "diagnosed" synesthetes) and weaker synesthesia that the rest of us experience. The brain is a network of association, and it all links to itself. Synesthetes just have it stronger than most. Why?
If you named these shapes, which would be Bouba and which would be Kiki? It's obvious, even when you ask many people, even young children; Kiki is spiky and Bouba is rounded. Involuntarily, you're associating the harsh and "sharp" /k/ sound with the spiky shape, and the softer, "rounder" sound of /b/ with the blobby one. "...stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway." So we all have synesthesia!
