Synesthesia meaning (what it is, concept and definition)

What is Synesthesia:

Synesthesia is the perception of the same sensation through different senses. The word comes from the Greek and is made up of the words συν- (sin-), which means 'together', and αἴσθησις (aísthesis), which translates 'sensation'.

For biology, synesthesia is a secondary or associated sensation in which a stimulus that is applied in a certain part of our body is perceived in a different one.

Psychology, on the other hand, considers synesthesia to be the sensation in which a perception, characteristic of a certain sense, is fixed by another sensation that affects another sense.

Synesthesia is a condition that can occur in an individual who is able to hear colors, see sounds, or appreciate textures when tasting something. A synaesthetic, for example, spontaneously perceives correspondences between color tones, sound and flavor intensities.

Synesthesia endures over the years. Scientific research maintains that it is a dominant trait linked to the X chromosome, while other scientists consider that synesthesia is produced by a crossing of adjacent areas of the brain that process different sensory information.

As such, synesthesia is more common among patients with autism, although certain epilepsies can also cause synesthetic perceptions.

Synesthetic experiences, on the other hand, can be had by consuming hallucinogenic substances, such as LSD, mescaline, or certain fungi.

Synesthesia as a literary figure

Synesthesia is also known as a rhetorical figure in which a sensation (auditory, olfactory, visual, gustatory, tactile) is attributed to an object to which it does not correspond. As such, it is widely used in literary works, especially poetry.

Examples of synesthesia would be:

• Deaf sadness. Squeaky yellow. The green solitude of the fields. Sweet days.