Synaesthesia

How does that one work?

I mix up words that are really similar (Biology/Sociology, Exeter/Warwick, etc. are pretty much the same words). People look at me funny when I say "it's a university, not Warwick, but it starts with a W. Or a really similar letter, like E or X or something..... Ohh! Exeter! See, I was close with Warwick."

I just looked it up, and I have it too, though I didn't realise it was another kind of synaethesia!

Basically it's when, if you think about the days of the week, or different years, or the past/future, they are visualised in sort of map-like way. You could point to the space that Tuesday occupies, or describe the direction that the passage of time follows. For example - when I think about time, I'm standing on 2012, looking permanently into the past of a long timeline that slants downwards to my left.




I do this too! I often confuse words beginning with or containing a prominent F, W or T because they're all green letters. Those are my worst ones, although A and E are both yellow and that can be a bit annoying too.

I do this too! I often confuse words beginning with or containing a prominent F, W or T because they're all green letters. Those are my worst ones, although A and E are both yellow and that can be a bit annoying too.

Hooray for people who understand!

E, X and W are all blue / grey . Yes, similar shades of blue or grey are practically the same thing. But the colours are only minor if you get what I mean - I know what the colours are when I think about it, but I have to think about it.
The feeling that "Exeter" and "Warwick" are the same word? Completely automatic and impossible to turn off.

How does that one work?

I tend to colour whole numbers. So 34 won't be a coloured 3 and a coloured 4, it'll just be the colour of 3. So when two people give me phone numbers that start with the same number, I'll get them mixed up. Other than that it's great for memory. I also see concepts in space/time and hear colours.

How do you see concepts in space/time? Just interested because I have no idea how that works, and I guess people who have that will see it very differently. So you might be very different to other people's answers on this thread.

I have before got off at 'Surrey Quays' rather than my stop 'Canada Water' because I realised too late that they were different things. It's not just memory that synaesthesia can screw around with
Fortunately there was another train in a few minutes, and they're only one stop apart, but imagine if you did that with an hourly train.

I don't fully know how to explain it, but I'll give it a go...

Now that would be annoying Mine's never done that luckily!

I have spatial sequence synaesthesia- I see time. I also have elements of colour association synaesthesia, not sure what the proper word for it is.

That is cool. What is it like (genuinely interested)?

Haha thanks. Uhh well it depends on what kind of time I'm thinking about, the year is a bit like a huge, dark, rectangular ferris wheel that I've been travelling around for as long as I can remember. I also have a long term timeline which drifts off to my left, then turns sharply forwards and away from me at around 1900, then turns left again at around the year 0. I can zoom in on sections of this if I need to, which comes in very handy in History exams, as I can see exactly what happened and when There's another timeline for more short term time, ie the next week or so, but all these different visions kind of fit into each other

Are you a synesthete too?

That sounds really cool, if a little disconcerting.

No, I'm not a synesthete. That's why I'm interested... with some types it seems to be a disability with no negative effects. But I might be wrong - which is why I want to learn about it

I wonder if different people with synaesthesia could listen to the same music and all "see" the same thing?

We don't. Some of us may well find that we see certain things the same way. For example, those who associate colours with letters, we may well agree that A is red. But to me o is pale blue, but to someone else it might be a horrid shade of lime green with too much yellow in it.

I can taste words, anything with umlauts in tastes like licquorice, which is annoying, because i dont like it. and using/ thinking abou tthe imperfect (simple past tense) feels like i'm eating marshmallows...

How does that one work?

I can't really think of any negative effects of it. To be honest, I don't get how people without it understand time. How can you remember what happened last year or know what you're doing next Tuesday if you can't literally see it all planned out? I'm pretty sure I'd be lost without it

We don't. Some of us may well find that we see certain things the same way. For example, those who associate colours with letters, we may well agree that A is red. But to me o is pale blue, but to someone else it might be a horrid shade of lime green with too much yellow in it.

I can taste words, anything with umlauts in tastes like licquorice, which is annoying, because i dont like it. and using/ thinking abou tthe imperfect (simple past tense) feels like i'm eating marshmallows...