The story is told by the leading researcher of the Laboratory of Perception and Cognitive Systems of the Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology and the Faculty of Computer Science of the University of Latvia Solvita Umbraško
The unusual nature of synaesthesia and its association with the activation of additional senses suggests that it may also be based on special creative abilities. This assumption is also reinforced by stories of famous and brilliant musicians, writers, scientists and artists who may have been synesthetes, such as composers Jean Sibelius and Olivier Messiaen, physicist Richard Feynman, artist Vincent Van Gogh and many others.
Of course, these people have not been given tests to confirm this, and their experiences of synesthesia can only be judged by their own testimonies or those of their contemporaries. For example, the writer Vladimir Nabokov describes his experience of grapheme-color synesthesia in great detail in his works and also in interviews. In an interview, the writer said that his wife and son also had grapheme-color synesthesia, which proves that this phenomenon is hereditary. He also pointed out that they all had different color photicisms for certain letters. The synesthesia of other famous artists can only be judged indirectly, for example, from the testimony of contemporaries, one can guess that the artist Vincent van Gogh may have been synesthetized. At the same time, there are also assumptions that some of the celebrities who were considered synesthetes were not such at all, for example, the composer Alexander Scriabin – that he only used the working principles of synesthesia in his sound-color performances, but did not experience it himself.
Today, researchers in various studies are trying to find out whether there are really more representatives of creative professions among synesthetes than in the non-synesthetes population. And do synesthetes have a more pronounced interest in art. Thus, in a recent study, researchers analyzed the creative and visual abilities of synesthetes with different types of synesthesia, their interest in art, and compared their performance with non-synesthetic group members. The results show that artists are more common in the group of synesthetes, especially among sound-color synesthetes.
Sound-color synesthetes also showed greater involvement in artistic activities in general, while spatial arrangement synesthetes showed greater involvement specifically in visual art. However, the results for creativity were not so clear-cut. Only grapheme-color and sound-color synesthetes showed significantly higher creativity abilities compared to nonsynesthetes, but this was only observed in one of the creativity tasks. In general, synesthetes show higher visuospatial abilities. The results also show that synesthetes are more interested in art than non-synesthetes, and this may not be related to their creative abilities.
One wonders if synaesthesia ever interferes? A large number of synesthetes claim that synesthesia does not bother them, nor does it give them any special advantages. However, there are some synesthetes who indicate that the respective type of synesthesia is helpful or hindering in certain situations.
For example, word tape or subtitle synesthetes may have better spelling skills, but this can be disruptive in learning new languages where the synesthete needs to see the words but is unable to do so because they do not yet know the spelling of the words in question. Some grapheme-color synesthetes report that synesthesia helps them remember codes or phone numbers because combinations of certain color associations are formed. But at the same time, it can also be distracting in cases where different numbers have the same color and therefore get messed up. However, if you asked synesthetes if they wanted to get rid of synesthesia, they would almost always say no, says Simon Baron-Cohen, a professor at the University of Cambridge and synesthesia researcher. If synesthetes were deprived of this unique ability, they would feel as if they had been deprived of one of their senses.”
Latvijas Radio invites you to express your opinion about what you heard in the program and supports discussions among listeners, however, reserves the right to delete comments that violate the boundaries of respectful attitude and ethical behavior.
