The Synesthesia | Teen Ink

The Synesthesia

January 3, 2012
By LaceeJade GOLD, Bucyrus, Ohio
LaceeJade GOLD, Bucyrus, Ohio
17 articles 4 photos 136 comments

Favorite Quote:
♥ I've made mistakes in my life. i've let people take advantage of me, and i accepted way less than i deserve. But, i've learned from my bad choices, and even though there are some things i can never get back and people who will never be sorry. i'll know better next time and i wont settle for anything less than i deserve. ♥


One in every one hundred thousand people is diagnosed with synesthesia. Many people don’t even know what this mental illness is. If they did there would probably be more cases of people coming out telling the world what they have.
What is synesthesia? Well, it’s defined as “senses coming together.” It pretty much means that their senses are mixed instead of separated. In a synesthete’s brain when someone hears a sound, he or she immediately sees a color or shape in his or her “minds eye.” Synesthesia is involuntary but elicited. It is also irrepressible, which means they don’t have to trigger the secondary sensory experience consciously. They cannot control it.
There are about thirty-five different subtypes such as taste hearing, sound touch and so on. The most common is color-graphemic, where letters and numbers, produce certain colors, simple patterns, and color-auditory. Color-auditory includes voices, music, and random noise produce colors, textures, and shapes.
What are synesthetes like? Well, most of them do not even know they have something wrong. They believe everyone experiences the same thing they are. They don’t recognize they are different until they’re older. Most synesthetes are women roughly two to one. Most of them have a relative that are also synesthetic, which makes us believe that it could be inherited. They are usually very artistic and creative. They also have a very good memory.
Many people think that it is very confusing for them walking around constantly seeing shapes, colors, and patterns. The truth is it’s not. They often enjoy their synesthesia. They adapt to it just like we do. See, we think they might have a problem but, they don’t understand how we can learn without what they see. So the feeling is mutual. The only time they are bothered by it is when a stimulus produces synesthetic experience they don’t like. Such as with color-graphemic they might not like a letter because an ugly color is associated with it. It would also be hard because for a color-graphemic it might confuse them if a really boring person has a vibrant name.
Synesthesia is a very uncommon disorder but also kind of unique. I would like to vision things like a synesthete just to see what it would be like. How could you be sad or mad all the time while seeing beautiful colors, shapes, and patterns everywhere? That also goes both ways, how could u be happy seeing sad colors, shapes, and patterns. Synesthesia has its ups and downs. Hopefully we do more research on this topic because it is very extraordinary.


The author's comments:
I think this is a very interesting topic.

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This article has 2 comments.


Blessyou_17 said...
on May. 6 2020 at 11:15 am
Blessyou_17, Evanston, Illinois
0 articles 0 photos 1 comment

Favorite Quote:
"Every contact leaves a trace"-Edmond Locard

As a synesthete, I do not like when people classify synesthesia as a mental illness. it is more of an ability than a disability. there is nothing "wrong" with us. This essay thoroughly disappointed me.

on Dec. 31 2012 at 3:47 am
ObstreperousOne BRONZE, Cherry Valley, California
1 article 0 photos 3 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Affection is responsible for nine-tenths of whatever solid and durable happiness there is in our lives."
-C.S. Lewis

As a synesthete and the son of a mental health professional, I can say synesthesia does not qualify as a disorder, mental illness, or disease. The article is fairly well written, overall, with some minor typos, although seeming to lack a lot of points. The author states that synesthesia might be thought of as a problem, and synesthetes "have something wrong", but doesn't say why, or how it might interfere with normal life. Overall, 3/5 from me.