Chromesthesia: One of Types of Synesthesia
When listening to a certain piece of music, certain emotions and stories are imagined in our heads that we use to better understand the piece of music. Feelings of being happy, sad, anxious, exhilarated. The melody and lyrics also create a storytelling aspect in our brains. Understanding these emotions and imagery gives us a vision of what we expect when the song comes on the radio. Chromesthesia is often described as “the eliciting of visual images by aural stimuli” is one of the most common forms of synesthesia. The word Chromesthesia derives from the Greek word Chromos meaning “colours” and esthesia meaning “perception”. People who have chromesthesia take these adjectives used to describe songs and also add colour into the mix. These senses imagined in colour are the basis of Chromesthesia and felt by all Synesthetes.. Chromesthesia is seen as a natural progression, and interpretations of Chromesthesia can evolve over time.
Synesthesia is a neurological condition where information meant to stimulate one of your senses also stimulates another part of your senses. Someone with synesthesia is known as a synesthete. Synesthesia was first discovered in the 19th century, and it was wrongly traced back to the eyes due to prior knowledge of colour blindness. The word synesthesia comes from the two ancient Greek words “Syn” which means together and “aesthesis” which means perception. Combining these two words means “to feel sensations together” The origins of Synesthesia are scientific, with many famous throughout history prescribing colour and texture to the music, one of them being Sir Issac Newton. Humans have five senses, each one simulating a different part of your brain. Looking at a bright neon coloured wall, for example, will stimulate the primary visual cortex. With synesthesia, it may also feel like you can taste or associate that specific colour to a texture within a piece of music or even have an understanding of what that colour “tastes” like. Many researchers believe that people who have synesthesia have a high level of interconnectedness between certain parts of the brain that deal with sensory stimuli. Synesthesia itself is more common than people think, but the answer to how many people have it is unknown. It is hard to pinpoint how many people have it due to the nature of synesthesia. When someone is sick with the flu, they can feel that something is off, go see a doctor and get the proper treatment. Those who have synesthesia don’t assume anything about them is different from the general public. In the eyes of many synesthetes, they view the world thinking how they perceive their everyday senses is just as normal as the next person. When someone with synesthesia does realize their condition is unique, it is common for them from telling others in fear of being labelled as “different”. This also makes it hard to pinpoint the statistics of how many have this condition. Synesthetes overall are a unique group of people. All true “synesthetes” have had their synesthesia at a young age, with some stating their first experience with synesthesia as early as two years old. Synesthetes tend to be more female, by almost two to one. Synesthetes also tend to have a family member who is female with synesthesia, possibly suggesting a potential genetic correlation. More public awareness of this condition can lead many to discover a part of themselves they never knew was unique.
There are multiple forms of synesthesia, some that deal with music and texture, and some that are based more in letters and numbers. As of today, more than 60 variants of synesthesia have been described. The most common form of synesthesia is Grapheme colour synesthesia. It is the most widely studied and researched. This form allows the individual to associate certain numbers or letters with certain colours. This form of synesthesia is also very high in creatives and musicians as it allows them to remember pitches on a musical scale to a colour, which can also correlate with sound to colour synesthesia (Chromesthesia).
Chromesthesia is fully experienced by those who listen to a song/sound and see a visual colour/texture/shape as a response to that sound. Chromesthesia is something that happens involuntary and is usually something that isn’t a choice. Anything from people talking, to cars passing by, or even a single note on a piano, can all trigger and stimulate Chromesthesia. To fully understand why certain people experience this, some look back on childhood. When we are young and first exposed to colours, shapes, and sounds of the world we absorb it all around us. Chromesthesia can first emerge when we are exposed to these things. Children who have Chromesthesia are given a toy Xylophone with a specific colour for each note, that plays a certain pitch, and can often learn to associate that pitch with that specific colour. Children who listened to a certain genre of music in a bright green room can associate that genre of music with that specific colour. Every memory can be associated with some sort of mental reaction to sound and things around you. These examples show that Chromesthesia itself is something that is influenced culturally, and many who have chromesthesia, can use this condition to their advantage to express their creative talents.
There are also unusual forms of Chromesthesia. One is Auditory-Tactile Chromesthesia. For example, as you hear the sound, you may also be able to touch it with your mind. You may be able to visualize the texture and feel of the song and describe the overall feeling of the song using words such as “rough” or “smooth”. Another form of Chromesthesia is Sound Taste Chromesthesia. This form allows people to perceive sound intervals of music as a specific taste in their mouths.
A study with 4 synesthetes, showed 3 that are musicians and one non-artist. All participants were played 4 sounds and asked to draw what they hear. The musicians' synesthetes' drawings are much more complex than the non-artist synesthete.
When listening to a piece of music with or without chromesthesia, we sometimes associate certain words and phrases within the song to a colour. When combining the brain’s process of colour and music, we create the basis of a synesthetic experience. Often the word “blue” in a song means sad or gloomy. Even at a young age, we associate we often unwillingly train our brains to remember certain feelings or memories to colour. For example, we associate the shades of yellow and orange of sunrise as something that is positive and a new beginning. In everyday life driving around in cars, we know that green means go and red means stop. A study done by Naz Kaya and Helen H. Epps titled “The Relationship between Color and Emotions: A Study of College Students” found that; 91.5% agreed that yellow and green were the most positive colours since they were associated with certain memories such as Easter, spring, and other repetitive visuals of these colours. Having a basic understanding of how colours play an important role in our everyday life, can help us understand those who have Chromesthesia listen and experience everyday sound/music.
To explore Chromesthesia, is to ask what are some common characteristics between those who have it? The first one being the obvious seeing music in colour in some form. Each perception of chromesthesia is very personal and varies from person to person. There are, however, general trends between Chromesthetes. An example being lower pitches tend to be darker, while higher pitches are bright. The first thing to look for to understand if Chromesthesia or any form of synesthesia is to understand a general reaction to hearing a sound. Chromesthesia is involuntary. Someone who has Chromesthesia does not have to trigger it to experience it. The main component is colour consistency. When any Chromesthete associates certain colours to pitches, instruments, timbres, etc. A commonality for most synesthetes is having a consistent colour associated to that pitch, artist, song, etc. For example, If a synesthete listens to Taylor Swift’s voice on the radio and associates her tone of voice with the colour yellow, that synesthete will associate her voice with yellow for the rest of their life. If their colour changes, they are most likely not a synesthete. As said before, Chromesthesia is usually formed and developed in the early stages of one’s life, meaning that Chromesthesia is stable. Many experiments have tried and failed to associate a synesthete with someone who has a sensitive memory to colours. Another common characteristic of people who have Chromesthesia is emotions. There are no physical changes between someone who does have Chromesthesia and someone who does, but the way the brain processes emotions is much stronger with those who have Chromesthesia. When listening to a piece of music, your auditory cortex is lit up, when a Chromesthete listens to music their auditory cortex is lit up but so is their visual cortex, giving them a stronger sense of emotional reaction to songs.
When listening to a piece as a Chromesthete, one imagines what that individual experiences. A synesthetic experience is not static, they are fluent and vivid. As one listens to a song, the shape they visualise in their brain does not stay the same as the song progresses. The shape and texture of what they are experiencing can expand, grow, or even diminish based on the factors of the specific song. The perception of the song can depend on multiple factors. Where the song goes based off melody can impact the visual perception of the song, the specific key the song is also has a strong impact, on what chords are played throughout the song, the volume of the song, the timbre, whether or not it’s in a major or minor key, etc.
A common question asked is if Chromesthesia interferes with their general vision, and the answer is no. Chromesthesia is very much a mental perception. Think of it as a room inside your head, and the more you listen to song colours, shapes, and textures fill that room depending on the song. But, there are people with Chromesthesia who also visualise the colours and shapes they see in front of them, but they don’t get in the way of their general vision and appear very subtle. Think of it as a sunny day and you put on sunglasses with a tint. The tint changes the colour of your surroundings but you are still able to see everything clearly. This can be compared to those who see music visually in front of them.
Chromesthesia is usually tied into music and audio but also is very important to everyday life. Sounds of nature such as birds chirping, cars driving by, people talking in the distance, and a shower running, can all trigger and elicit Chromesthesia. To understand a negative reaction to a sound while experiencing Chromesthesia, a common example is nailed on a chalkboard. For many, this makes the hairs on our arms stand up. For those with Chromesthesia, a certain sound may create a visual experience where the texture, shape, or colour of the sound is unpleasant.
There are many techniques and exercises for people who have Chromesthesia to become aware and mindful of their condition. One of the most common techniques is to draw the sound they are hearing. Whether that be a certain colour, shape, or texture or all at once. Drawing a sound engages the Chromesthete to express what they are listening to. Drawing may be tricky for many Chromesthetes as you are focusing on the song, what you are visualizing, and having to draw it out on paper all at once. The song may change in key, making the perception of their visualization change as well. To draw these changes out on paper is almost impossible in a 3-minute song, but is much easier done on a single pitch or tone where the likeliness of their perception will stay consistent.
Another technique is the complete opposite of visualizing what you see. Seeing can also evoke sound. The vision itself can also evoke an auditory experience. A common study is Kiki and Bouba. Participants were given two shapes and asked to name one Kiki and one Bouba. One being round (Bouba) and one being more pointed (Kiki). Almost all participants agreed that the pointed one being Kiki and the round one to be Bouba.
Chromesthesia exercises can also come with many benefits for those who are Chromesthetes. It can improve cognitive functions such as memory, sensory awareness, and regulation of attention.
