by BRINLEE VUOLA
Staff Writer
Have you ever thought about a word or a number and having it come out as a certain color in your mind? Think of the word: electric. When it pops up in your head, what color(s) do you see? Is it one, or many mixed colors? Does it even contain color at all? Personally, I see a light blue when I think of the word, with a light glow surrounding the letters. This phenomenon is known as synesthesia.
Synesthesia is a neurological condition in which information meant to stimulate one of your senses stimulates several of your senses. People who have synesthesia are called synesthetes. The word “synesthesia” comes from the Greek words: “synth” (which means “together”) and “ethesia” (which means “perception). About 4% of the world’s population experience this, and some temporarily experience this when on psychedelic drugs.
Although the sensation is not uncommon or rare, most of the world’s population do not experience it. They are not able to see colors in their mind, or even think of pictures or words. There’s those who see nothing, and those who can design 3D flicks in their heads. The range is incredibly wide and holds absolutely no limits. However, this is a psychological phenomenon, and isn’t necessarily something that can normally be trained. Most people are just born with it.
Synesthesia can occur in so many different scenarios. Like the picture above, you could see different colors associated with different words. For me personally, a lot of the colors I see with words are not accurate with the picture. I see a dark green for March, for example, and a cold blue for January. But it’s different for everyone and can truly start some interesting yet controversial conversations with your friends. So, what do you see for the word “electric”?