Researchers at The Australian National University (ANU) have shed new light on synesthesia -- the effect of hearing colors, seeing sounds and other cross-sensory phenomena.Lead Researcher, ANU Research School of Psychology’s Dr Stephanie Goodhew, said the research found synesthetes had much stronger mental associations between related concepts.
“For them words like ‘doctor’ and ‘nurse’ are very closely associated, where ‘doctor’ and ‘table’ are very unrelated. Much more so than for people without the condition,” she said.
The findings could help researchers better understand the mysteries of synesthesia, which Dr Goodhew said affects an estimated one in every 100 people.
Read more: Synesthesia: Why some people hear color, taste sounds
More articles on synesthesia:
- Training can lead to synesthetic experiences: Does learning the 'color of' specific letters boost IQ?
- A longitudinal study of grapheme-color synesthesia in childhood
- Learning and memory may play a central role in synesthesia: Link to childhood toys containing magnetic colored letters
- Synesthesia: Brain study explores what makes colors and numbers collide
- Reading in two colors at the same time: Patterns of synesthesia brain activity revealed