A
“crossing of the senses” between taste and smell is not considered synesthesia.
What we normally perceive as taste is actually a combination of taste, smell and texture. When we identify a flavour via the taste buds on the tongue and a smell via the nerve endings in the nose, both sensations converge in the brain, which then integrates the information received so that the tastes can be recognised and savoured.
As
taste and smell are so closely related, experiencing both at the same time, i.e.
a taste experience giving rise to a smell experience or vice versa, is not
considered compatible with the idea of synesthesia.
In Chapter 6 of the book Wednesday is Indigo Blue: Discovering the Brain of Synesthesia by Richard E. Cytowic and David Eagleman (The MIT Press, 2009), there is an interesting discussion of the relationship between taste and smell and how they are linked to synesthesia.
One day I smelled a book and started to taste it. Is it normal or is it synesthesia?
ReplyDeleteIgnore my comment
DeleteWhen I see the color yellow I taste and smell high fructose corn syrup if it had lemon juice in it, green is sour, blue smells like raspberry, and I see colors or feel sound when people speak or sing is that synesthesia or normal? I’m 19 btw I feel like I would’ve known earlier if other ppl didn’t have that
ReplyDeleteYes, from what you describe it sounds like you probably do have synesthesia. You could look at the pages on colour-to-smell synesthesia, colour-to-taste synesthesia and voice-to-colour synesthesia and see what you think:
Deletehttps://www.thesynesthesiatree.com/2021/02/colour-to-smell-synesthesia.html
https://www.thesynesthesiatree.com/2021/02/colour-to-taste-synesthesia.html
https://www.thesynesthesiatree.com/2021/03/voice-colour-and-voice-shape.html