What color is Tuesday? Exploring synesthesia - Richard E. Cytowic

How does one experience synesthesia -- the neurological trait that combines two or more senses? Synesthetes may taste the number 9 or attach a color to each day of the week. Richard E. Cytowic explains the fascinating world of entangled senses and why we may all have just a touch of synesthesia.

Lesson by Richard E. Cytowic, animation by TED-Ed.

[maryberry]

Okay, this is just a really cute story ( it's really long though):
So I work with a voice coach named Jillian. She knows I have sound-color synesthesia, and I even wrote a really REALLY bad song about it called music to my eyes. So she was teaching her 8 or 9 year old niece a song a little bit ago, and her niece (we'll call her Mia) could not, for the life of her, remember the chords to this song. So Jillian tells Mia to think of a word or something to remember the chord. Like, a lyric or something. So Mia pauses for a second, then says "Can it be a color?" So she writes down the color for each chord, while Jillian is starting to make the connection. The next time she plays the song, less than five minutes later, she doesn't miss a single chord. Jillian asks her if she sees colors when she hears music, and she gets really quiet and suddenly says "I thought everyone did..." So Jillian let me talk to Mia and she just asked questions and told me about her favorite songs and how all of her best friends have the prettiest colored voices and that's why they're so close to her. It was one of the cutest and more pure interactions I've ever had. Thanks if you're still reading. This is totally pointless, but I thought it was cute.

[josephmartins]

I've legit done this since I was like 4 I thought everyone did it

[protonpowergaming]

The true synesthete experience is finding out your friends also have it, and constantly arguing with them about the colors of everything, while the other people around us give us really weird looks.

All jokes aside, I really appreciate having friends who perceive the world similarly to me, and I really wish I would have came out about my synesthesia to them earlier. If you're all the way down here, thanks for reading and happy summer

[Skdndnsmsm]

I'm color blind and having synesthesia is something i find difficult yet unique

[bakugousimp]

Every month has a color, every day, music, even my feelings are described as color. I thought everyone described color.

[alejandramadrigales]

yooo anyone else feel hella left out because they don’t have synesthesia?

[gabriellehollington]

When I was a child I saw the days of the week as various colours. This had faded from my memory until I recently
read an item about this subject. Thursday was very strong blue & Saturday red. Sunday yellow, Monday orange, Tuesday a very weak yellow & Wedsnesday a brighter yellow. Fascinating subject.

[KrispieC]

I thought everyone could see that. One day, I just realized that no one around me also associated the school subjects and the seven days of the week with specific colors. Additionally, digits/numbers, letters/words, months, people, geometric figures, tastes have colors... Most abstract things have colors in my head. This is so intriguing and interesting that I'm sure I would be very sad if I couldn't see it, so I'm very proud to be synaesthetic.

[neoculturetea]

after reading the comments.. my world feels so dull now :(

[ninersfan]

"hello welcome to chili's how may I take your order?"
"uh yeah can I get your voice, I think that would taste pretty good!"
ok comin' right up

[ellasophia]

I have this, but it was more intense when I was younger. I used to be able to taste music, but only songs that really connected with me. But now, when I listen to songs from my childhood it triggers such nostalgia that I can taste them again. It's amazing.

[SuriOokami]

The worst part about being a synesthete is getting annoyed while watching videos like this, thinking,
"NO, "Denise" is ///CLEARLY/// YELLOW, not green!"

Totally feel them on 9 being a vain, elitist girl though.

[clarab.]

when you meet someone but their name isn't the same color as your perception of them

[robinbowie]

Imagine being like “Hold on, need to clean my palette, AIRPLANE... aight we good.”

[emmag]

I have synesthesia and I told my math teacher and she was so interested she gave personalized tests/work so I would have an easier time with math because my synesthesia would give me anxiety with the negative signs disappearing and all the numbers being close together so I didn't know were to look. I also have ADHD so that made things even harder

[connyspiess]

i always had colors for my school subjects so when i got binders or folders i would buy the corresponding color for the subject so i didnt even need to label them

[rebalssideprofile]

One day I was like "who was that girl with yellow name again" and my friends were like confuse af

[joy_astr]

Your voice sound like purple/blue, like thursday, december and 8. It's profound, calm and wise.

[patrickplsxo]

I remember hearing a door slam and saying to my parents: "Wow, that was really bright white!" That was the moment I realised not everyone sees sounds 😅

[paulaberi]

I'm just discovering this whole new world i didn't know i was part of.