2026 VIRTUAL MEETUP DETAILS COMING SOON!
synesthesia awareness day 7/2
An international day to acknowledge, celebrate, and better understand one of the most under-researched neurological conditions.
WHAT IS SYNESTHESIA?
Synesthesia is a neurological condition in which the stimulation of one sense triggers stimulation in other unrelated senses. For instance, someone with synesthesia (known as a synesthete) may perceive musical notes as specific colors or associate a smell with a particular physical shape. The term synesthesia itself originates from the Greek roots syn (together) and aesthesis (sensation or perception), collectively meaning “to perceive together.”
WHAT IS SYNESTHESIA AWARENESS DAY?
July 2nd is a day to celebrate and bring Synesthesia to the world’s attention! Some of the most prolific and notable entertainers, artists, authors and even Nobel laureate physicists throughout history have been synesthetes. Synesthesia is even a valuable gateway for us to better understand memory, perception and even human consciousness. Yet, this remarkable condition remains under-researched, misunderstood and virtually unknown to most of the population. Synesthesia is a fascinating and beautiful condition that has heavily impacted our world cultural history and deserves to be celebrated on this special day!
GET INVOLVED
KNOW THE FACTS
PROMOTE ON SOCIAL
DOWNLOAD RESOURCES
QUICK FACTS
What causes synesthesia?
Increased communication between various sensory regions of the brain. Though synesthesia may also occur in response to brain damage, drug use or sensory deprivation
How is synesthesia diagnosed?
There currently exists no clinical diagnosis for synesthesia. However, there are many tests to help gauge ones experiences and associations. See below for a sample test
What is it like to have synesthesia?
Depending on the type, experiences range from virtually unnoticeable to genuinely overwhelming. Though, many synesthetes report not realizing they perceived the world differently than anyone else until far later into their life
How common is synesthesia?
There is currently no exact answer, but our most reliable research indicates synesthesia is prevalent in less than 4% of the population
How many types of synesthesia are there?
The brain is capable of blending virtually any two or more senses, allowing for several dozen forms of synesthesia. Though, some forms are far more common than others
TYPES OF SYNESTHESIA
Grapheme–color
Individual letters of the alphabet and numbers (collectively referred to as “graphemes”) are perceived with a shade or color
Chromesthesia
The association of sounds with colors, like seeing colors representing various notes played on a piano
Spatial sequence
Perceiving ordinal sequences as points or objects in space, such as one seeing calendar months or dates projected around them
Number form
A mental map of numbers involuntarily triggered when thinking about or counting numbers, which varies among all individuals
auditory–tactile
Sensations in the body induced by sounds, such as experiencing a physical touch in response to a specific word or sound
Ordinal-linguistic
Ordered sequences, such as months, days of the week or letters are associated with a personality or gender
Misophonia
The triggering of negative experiences, such as hate, anger or fear by specific sounds
Mirror-touch
Experiencing the same sensation as another person, such as observing one being tapped on the shoulder and involuntarily feeling a tap on their own shoulder
Lexical–gustatory
The triggering of specific tastes in response to sound, such as the word “baseball” tasting like grapes
Kinesthetic
A rare blending of multiple forms of synesthesia that are assigned to more complex sequences or relationships
CELEBRITIES WITH SYNESTHESIA
The following are notable public figures and celebrities (present and past) who experience one or more forms of synesthesia.
- Vladimir Nabokov
- Beyoncé
- Marilyn Monroe
- Mary J. Blige
- Billie Eilish
- Nikola Tesla
- Duke Ellington
- Billy Joel
- Franz Liszt
- Lorde
- Olivia Rodrigo
- Tori Amos
- Leonard Bernstein
- Kanye West
- Hans Zimmer
- Charli XCX
- Eddie Van Halen
- Brendon Urie
- Pharrell Williams
- Geoffrey Rush
- Patrick Stump
- Vincent Van Gogh
- Richard Feynman
- David Hockney
- Stevie Wonder
- Frank Lloyd Wright
- Nathaniel Hawthorne
- Wassily Kandinsky
- Victor Hugo
- Jimi Hendrix
- Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov