logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2022
24m 28s

When You Hear Colors and Taste Shapes

CNN
About this episode

For the past couple of months, we’ve explored the senses and how each one affects our health and well-being. In our last episode of this season, we examine a trait known as synesthesia – in which the senses intertwine, like seeing colors when you hear music or tasting flavor when you feel texture. Neurologist and author, Dr. Richard Cytowic, joins Dr. Sanjay Gupta to explain what happens in the brain when the senses blend. We’ll also hear from musical artist, Christen Lien, about what it’s like to live and perform with synesthesia. 

To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Up next
Today
The Belly Fat You Actually Need to Worry About
Not all belly fat is created equal. Dr. Sanjay Gupta explains what makes some belly fat “toxic,” how to know if you have it, and what you can do to reduce it. Then, he tackles a follow-up question on the new blood pressure guidelines, including what lifestyle changes really work. ... Show More
12m 13s
Aug 22
Exploring the Brain with 10-Year-Old ‘Sean the Science Kid’
At 10 years old, brainiac Sean the Science Kid already has plenty in common with Dr. Sanjay Gupta: He loves to learn and explain science to his million-plus Instagram followers. He's an advocate for positivity. And when he grows up, he wants to be a ("neuro-cardio") surgeon. So, ... Show More
28m 41s
Aug 19
The New Healthy Blood Pressure Rules
Nearly half of Americans have high blood pressure — and the guidelines for managing it just changed. Dr. Sanjay Gupta explains the new rules, including surprising advice on alcohol. Plus, he answers a listener’s follow-up: does the recommended daily dose of “morning sunlight” cha ... Show More
13m 3s
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2021
Seeing Sounds, Tasting Names: The world of synesthesia
Synesthesia is a neurological condition where one sensory experience gets combined with another, meaning someone might hear sounds when they eat, or see colors when they listen to music. So what exactly is synesthesia? And what’s it like to go through life with these unique senso ... Show More
31m 5s
Aug 2022
Encore - Tasty words, colorful sounds - How people with synesthesia experience the world, with Julia Simner, PhD
More than 4% of people have some form of synesthesia, a neurological condition that causes senses to link and merge. People with synesthesia may taste words, hear colors, or see calendar dates arrayed in physical space. Dr. Julia Simner, a professor of neuropsychology at the Univ ... Show More
39m 22s
Jan 2019
Synesthesia: seeing sounds, hearing colours
For some people the number six is red and music evokes a range of colours and shapes. Seeing sounds and hearing colours is one type of synesthesia—where the senses are crossed.  Meet an 11-year-old girl who was surprised to find out that not everyone sees colourful auras around p ... Show More
50m 23s
Mar 2023
The New Science of Awe & How It Improves Your Physical & Mental Wellbeing with Dr Dacher Keltner #340
When was the last time you felt awe? Perhaps it’s an emotion you notice often, evoked by the trees, clouds, or people around you. Or maybe it’s something you associate with more dramatic, less frequent experiences. Dr Dacher Keltner, has written a sublime book on the subject of a ... Show More
1h 55m
May 2019
Our visual experience: perception of colour and eye contact
Remember that dress? In All in the mind recorded in front of an audience at the Free Thinking Festival at Sage Gateshead, Claudia Hammond delves into the psychology and neuroscience of our visual experience. How do we know we all see the same colours? And why do adults look away ... Show More
34m 36s
Nov 2019
A Doctor Who Can Feel People’s Pain
“There’s a space between people that we just have to take a risk and just leap and see how we can connect,” says Joel Salinas, Harvard Medical School neurologist and author of Mirror Touch. Salinas has mirror-touch synesthesia: He explains to host Elise Loehnen that he perceives ... Show More
54m 43s
Dec 2014
Musical hallucinations and mental health in the novel
Claudia Hammond finds out how neuroscientists are understanding musical hallucinations by looking at the brains of those who experience them. Tim Griffiths and Vicky Williamson talk about their research into musical imagery and what it reveals about the workings of the brain and ... Show More
27m 52s
Dec 2020
Synesthesia—seeing sounds, hearing colours: One of Lynne Malcolm's favourite programs
For some people the number six is red and music evokes a range of colours and shapes. Seeing sounds and hearing colours is one type of synesthesia—where the senses are crossed.  Meet an 11-year-old girl who was surprised to find out that not everyone sees colourful auras around p ... Show More
50m 38s
Dec 2023
The Mystery of Synesthesia (Letters, Numbers, Colors, Sounds, Perception, Psychic)
When you see a written word, do you also see colors in your mind? Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli explore the mystery of synesthesia where colors, sounds, letters, and numbers can all mix together in perception. What is synesthesia? Who has it? And what is responsible for it? The p ... Show More
1h 40m