Notes

Jamie Ward: YouTube THe courious World of Synaethesia

---runs in families
--not necessairly same synaethesia from parent to child
-have more brain matter--in seeing areas (ie. seeing colour)
--more white matter- responseible for more connection
--one theory suggests we all had it as a child--heightened linkage of senses
--we don't lose all of synaethesia--ie. experience images with sound

--some people think Kandinsky had synaethesia; not sure but potentially
--there are rules for linking vision and images: therefore we might still have it
--high pitch: brighter, jagged, higher up of person


THERE ARE RULES FOR LINKING VISION AND SOUND TOGETHER THAT ARE SHARED BY ALL PEOPLE-of course people with synaethesia probably have a more vivid experience than any of us though...but we all experience it
--people who dont have synaesthesia can still draw synaestesiac qualities out. For instance, when show two images (one synaethesiac and on not) and asked to say which best matches with a sound-laypeople tend to choose the synaestheisac image despite not having it
-thus, we all have synaethesiac properties: may support idea that synaethesia is something all children have and eventually move out of as they age

Are synaethetes more creative? (Ie. synaethesia and experience of art):
--looking at hobbies and occupations of synaethetes shows us that they tend to gravitate towards the arts

--can better distinguish between colours--can aid them in the perception and creation of art
--ex. Brighton--paints voices

What about touch and pain?
--when I see someone being touched-- I feel tactile sensation too
--do not have a tactile experience when objects touch though
--this is a purely visual stimulus (ie. you are seeing someone being touched) but individuals experience it in a tactile way
--could argue that we also experience the embodiment of other's feellings--however, individuals with synaethesia experience this consciously

-probably use different brain regions too

WHAT does this mean for empathy?
--The linking of several brain regions could actually heighten our empathy whereby we embody others feelings
--could also be an art medium though:

How people with mirror-synaethesia respond to artworks?
--Art piece by Giacometti (produced distorted body images)
--sees people getting stretched in art; personally feeling extended--not feeling pain but their bodily senses are being overrriden by the visual image

SO?

There are many different ways to how people experience world
Can be linked to genes
These differences matter--they alter things : increase memory , experiences
--not rare -few percent of population

Tells us the rule book for how senses play out and relate to one another --ex what sound works with colour red
--could aid us in helping individuals with blindness--sonifies the colours (ie. you can give blind people a sound such that they can experience colour)