logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2023
13m 2s

Synesthesia: The 6th Sense

Underknown
About this episode

In 1812, a physician by the name of Georg Tobias Ludwig Sachs was writing about the nature of albinism, having had the condition himself. Color was a recurring topic in his analysis of albinism and as such, in discussing his own experience, he mentioned that “colored ideas” appeared to him. They were “intimate and recurring” and couldn’t be “reckoned with usual sight,” according to Sachs. Sachs is now regarded as the first medically documented case of Synesthesia, a neurological condition in which a sensation in one of the senses evokes a sensation in another. The term quite literally means a “cross-mingling” of the senses, exactly opposite to the more familiar word “anesthesia,” which means “no sensation.”


Stay connected with Aperture:

Website: https://aperture.gg/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ApertureScience

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theapertureyt/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheApertureYT

Merch: https://aperture.gg/merch

Up next
Jun 4
The Most Terrifying Thought Experiment: Roko's Basilisk
If you knew you’d be subjected to eternal torture because you DIDN’T do something, you’d do it, right? What if that something was aiding in the development of superintelligent AI? Would you still step up and help? This question is presented in one of man's most terrifying thought ... Show More
24m 10s
May 28
The Universe’s Biggest Secrets
What if the universe is a simulation? Or perhaps the most advanced civilization is out there, waiting to be discovered? From the heat death of the cosmos to the deadliest forces lurking in space, we’ll explore the most mind-bending ideas about our universe’s end and everything in ... Show More
1h 40m
May 21
Master Stoicism in 60 Minutes: The Philosophy That Will Change Your Life
Stoic philosophy has persisted throughout history because it offers a framework to deal with every human's obstacles. This is the entire history of Stoicism, from Zeno to the modern day. 
1h 2m
Recommended Episodes
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 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
Jul 2020
67: The Science of Synesthesia
Can you see sounds? Smell letters? Feel colours? Synesthesia is a condition that links people’s senses, so some people in the word can actually do this! We discuss the science behind this (not so) super power... You can WATCH the podcast over on our YouTube channel: http://youtub ... Show More
1h 15m
Jan 2021
Synesthetes and Seekers
Synesthesia is a connection between senses. It could be the key to understanding brilliance. Most people are born with it, but in a few rare cases people have acquired it after a traumatic brain injury. We'll also cover the neurodiversity of autism with Dr Simon Baron-Cohen. For ... Show More
27m 36s
Dec 2022
When You Hear Colors and Taste Shapes
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 ... Show More
24m 28s
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
Oct 2023
Adam Blum et al., "Here I'm Alive: The Spirit of Music in Psychoanalysis" (Columbia UP, 2023)
Today we have a group session (read: an hour and a half) with the authors Adam Blum, Peter Goldberg, and Michal Levin discussing their new book Here I’m Alive: The Spirit of Music in Psychoanalysis (Columbia University Press, 2023). Acknowledging that “We’re not the first to thin ... Show More
1h 37m
Sep 2016
TU08: Understanding Emotional Triggers – Why Your Buttons Get Pushed and What To Do About It
Therapists explain the neuroscience behind emotional over-reactivity. The term "trigger" has been co-opted by social media and teens to mean having big feelings, but “trigger” is originally an important psychodynamic term related to trauma. In this episode we discuss the neurobio ... Show More
27m 41s
Oct 2022
NBN Classic: Raluca Soreanu, "Working-through Collective Wounds: Trauma, Denial, Recognition in the Brazilian Uprising" (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018)
Working-through Collective Wounds: Trauma, Denial, Recognition in the Brazilian Uprising (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018) formulates a theory of collective trauma, drawing on the work of Sándor Ferenczi. Dr. Soreanu takes Ferenczi into the public square to answer a series of questions. ... Show More
1h 9m