Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Synaesthesia!
6:10 PM | 
Posted by
Kaplan Center for Health and Wellness
Do you ever have those moments when you learn something new and the new information, concept or idea just blows your mind!? I had the pleasure of that experience about a month ago and couldn’t wait to tell you guys about what I learned!
For
relaxation and entertainment I like to listen to a podcast called “The Dinner
Party Download” (find it here: http://www.dinnerpartydownload.org/)
produced by American Public Media. The basic format of the podcast is to
simulate a dinner party, in a way, and to give you tips, information and small
talk that you can use at a dinner party. (The idea is fabulous. Since, have you
heard? The dinner party is dead and we need to bring it back! Read about the death
of the dinner party here: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/29/fashion/saving-the-endangered-dinner-party.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0)
Each week they tell an icebreaker joke (my favorite being...so a dyslexic walks
into a bra…J); highlight
that week’s news, tell an interesting historical story, create a cocktail based
on that story and they have a “guest of honor”. One particular week, the guest
of honor was Pharrell Williams of the “Happy” song phenomenon. If you haven’t
heard the song “Happy”, take a second to listen to it here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Sxv-sUYtM
– it will brighten your day!
During the interview
with Pharrell, he mentioned that he has a condition called Synaesthesia. Have
you heard of it?! Apparently only 4.4% (UK Synaesthesia Society, 2014) of the
population has the condition. As Pharrell described it, he said that for him,
sounds also appear as color. Apparently, a lot of musical greats also have/had
the condition – people like Duke Ellington, Lady Gaga and Stevie Wonder, to
name a few. You can read and/or listen to his interview here: http://www.dinnerpartydownload.org/pharrell/.
According to
the UK Synaesthesia Society (2014) “Synaesthesia is a truly fascinating
condition. In its simplest form it is best described as a “union of the senses”
whereby two or more of the five senses that are normally experienced separately
are involuntarily and automatically joined together. Some synaesthetes
experience colour when they hear sounds or read words. Others experience
tastes, smells, shapes or touches in almost any combination. These sensations
are automatic and cannot be turned on or off. Synaesthesia isn’t a disease or
illness and is not at all harmful. In fact, the vast majority of synaesthetes
couldn’t imagine life without it.”
Are you as
fascinated by this as I am?! Is anyone here a Synaesthetic?
In the next
blog we will talk more about it and specifically how it impacts food senses…
Emily Boldrin
PhD, RD
References
American Public Media. (2014, March 7).
“Pharrell Williams”. Dinner Party
Download. Podcast retrieved from http://www.dinnerpartydownload.org/pharrell/UK Synaesthesia Society. (2014). Accessed September 29, 2014. http://www.uksynaesthesia.com/2012aboutus.html
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