19 Comments

1. 1. jtdwyer 07:41 PM 2/23/10

   One could guess from this result that animals may respond differently to odors, depending on sonic stimuli, and/or vice versa. It’d be most interesting to identify actual behavioral evidence in animals. For this association to exist it seems that some real advantage is likely gained, if only to not stop to smell the roses if a tree is falling…

   Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this

2. 2. yuran 07:48 PM 2/23/10

   such a surprising finding, though I sometimes have such kind of feeling

   Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this

3. 3. RWS-GR 09:30 PM 2/23/10

   I've seen reports of subjects under the influence of psychedelic drugs hearing colors. Does this open a new field of the connectedness of all the senses when all the channels are 'way' open?

   Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this

4. 4. LQ 10:13 AM 2/24/10

   As a synaesthete I object to the descriptions of synaesthesia in this article as "defective processing" and a "disorder". I am sure I would not be the only synaesthete to find such descriptions offensive.

   Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this

5. 5. LQ 10:14 AM 2/24/10

   As a synaesthete I object to the descriptions of synaesthesia in this article as "defective processing" and a "disorder". I am sure I would not be the only synaesthete to find such descriptions offensive.

   Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this

6. 6. jtdwyer 12:05 PM 2/24/10

   As the article states in a single sentence: “But because sensory activity does not always equate with perceived changes, they must devise an experiment to determine what their mice actually smell and hear.”
   
   These experiments only established a cellular level neural response to stimuli, not any perception of smell or sound. All the references this article made to perceptions and synesthesia were highly speculative and premature.

   Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this

7. 7. violetlorien 01:05 PM 2/24/10

   This actually makes a lot of sense to me from an evolutionary perspective. Being able to differentiate between the smell of a predator that is old -- and is thus just a smell -- and the smell of a predator closing in on you -- thus combined with the particular sounds of that predator moving through the environment -- would be critical for animals.
   
   As a side note, I also find the description of synaesthesia as a disorder to be inaccurate. I am a synaesthete, and what is described in this article as a disorder is, for me and others like me, a skill and ability that we benefit from constantly. The word "disorder" implies that it is a negative condition that should be fixed, which in this case is about as far from the truth as you could get.

   Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this

8. 8. gothceltgirl in reply to violetlorien 02:14 PM 2/24/10

   I am fascinated by synaesthesia. I often wondered if you viewed it as an impediment or an advantage. Good to know!! Great comment btw violetlorien.

   Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this

9. 9. Absentminded 06:46 PM 2/24/10

   This reminds me of a study of how vocalizing a word while using a lip movement that resembles a similar will make the person misshear the word said.
   Like a video would show someone motioning his lips as saying Hand would say Head. Those weren't the actual words used for research.. i'm just making those up to give you an idea.
   Anyways, i wonder if there's a connection.

   Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this

10. 10. Absentminded 06:48 PM 2/24/10

    This reminds me of a study of how vocalizing a word while using a lip movement that resembles a similar word will make the person misshear the actual word that was enunciated.
    Like a video would show someone motioning his lips as saying Hand but the sound bite sent to the viewer would be Head. Those weren't the actual words used for research.. i'm just making those up to give you an idea.
    Anyways, i wonder if there's a connection. Its pretty similar.
    

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this

11. 11. frankboase in reply to RWS-GR 03:44 AM 2/25/10

    RWS-GR , Thing you have heard of synesthesia

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this

12. 12. synesthete7 06:41 AM 2/25/10

    It is disturbing that Scientific American would call synesthesia a disorder. Synesthesia is not debilitating and counts many superior creatives in its ranks as well as people with better memory skills than average. I'm an author at work on a book about synesthesia and would like to point out that successful people from Marilyn Monroe, to Itzhak Perlman, Billy Joel and Pharrell Williams all had/have it and have done quite well. Further, meditative adepts like Tibetan and Zen monks experience it at very high rates and old Buddhist teachings allude to it being present in enlightenment.

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this

13. 13. rockjohny in reply to synesthete7 06:52 AM 2/26/10

    that one British savant said he sees numbers as shapes as he calculates massive formulas; and many musicians with perfect pitch describe sound as having color...obviously the more 'open the channels' between senses the better, no?

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this

14. 14. Katie Sams 07:45 PM 3/9/10

    I didn't know that! I need to keep that in mind while I'm cooking.

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this

15. 15. Selvaggia in reply to LQ 02:40 PM 4/7/10

    I agree with LQ: synaestehetes have an uncommon perception I think superior: that involves all senses at one time.

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this

16. 16. Barney 06:16 AM 5/12/10

    I had an automotive Battery explode next to me about 3 years ago. since then my sence of smell and tast have deteriated severly. I now ware hearing aids in both ears. But the hearing aids do not enhance any other sences.
    I did not have any acid contact as I was protected by the generator motor from the battery.
    after the explosion I was completely deaf for about 6 hours and then started hearing murmers recovery took about two days but about 50% still missing at all frequencies.

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this

17. 17. cantubury in reply to gothceltgirl 01:17 PM 5/13/10

    Oliver Sacks, M.D. a british neurologist has done a lot of work on this subject. he has some new books out on music and neurology but the classic is "the man who mistook his wife for a hat"

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this

18. 18. rweening in reply to LQ 08:49 PM 8/1/10

    What is it if not a disorder?

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this

19. 19. rweening 08:52 PM 8/1/10

    Nabokov had it with words and colors. Very helpful to the creative process

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this