What is Synesthesia disorder and how common is it?
The condition is a mysterious mingling of the senses that is experience by a surprising number of people
SYNESTHESIA disorder is a condition where a sensation in one of the senses, such as hearing, triggers a sensation in another, such as taste.
Here we take a look at a condition that blurs the senses.
What is Synesthesia disorder?
Synaesthesia is a condition where one sense automatically triggers another one like smell, taste, sound or sight.
For example, some people with synaesthesia can taste numbers or hear colours.
A wide range of different synaesthetic experiences have been reported and recorded.
A classic example is someone who experiences the colour red when they hear the word "Monday!”
Most people who have Synaesthesia will have had it since childhood, so it feels perfectly normal to them.
How common is synesthesia disorder?
Synaesthesia has been estimated to affect around 4 per cent of the population.
Some studies have found it to be much more common in people with Asperger’s syndrome.
Research has found the prevalence in this group to be as much as 18.9 per cent.
MOST READ IN NEWS
What causes synesthesia disorder?
It's likely that the brain of someone with synaesthesia is "wired" differently, or has extra connections.
A brain imaging study showed that when some people with the condition hear words, a part of their brain normally used to process colour from vision lights up.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368. You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.