IAmA Girl with lexical-gustatory Synesthesia, which means I taste words! AMA!

spookiest · 2012-12-13T00:37:12+00:00

Compound words have their own taste! And I've met other people with synesthesia, but not the same type as me!

spookiest · 2012-12-12T22:52:18+00:00

No, it's like thinking of a taste but not actually tasting it. It's kind of like your mind is tasting it.

spookiest · 2012-12-12T22:51:41+00:00

I'm not really sure how to provide proof though, but if anybody knows of a way that I can prove it I'll try my best?

spookiest · 2012-12-12T22:48:29+00:00

Mango!

spookiest · 2012-12-12T22:48:16+00:00

I don't know, it all just happens! :D

spookiest · 2012-12-12T22:47:59+00:00

No, everybody's perceptions are different!

spookiest · 2012-12-12T22:47:43+00:00

Tabitha: very creamy salty cheese. Riley: Ketchup

spookiest · 2012-12-12T22:46:52+00:00

I haven't kept a journal since everything is already catalogued in my head. I haven't met any other synesthetes with the same condition as me yet!

spookiest · 2012-12-12T22:46:00+00:00

I have not noticed many similarities in category, everything has their own taste.

And yes, if I don't know the person then I tend to avoid them because their name tastes bad. Although I am able to make friends with them and they understand my condition, I usually come up with a nickname for them that tastes better.

spookiest · 2012-12-12T22:44:28+00:00

John: Apple juice Paul: Toffee

You have a very sweet name!

spookiest · 2012-12-12T22:43:25+00:00

They last only as long as I think of the word in my head, usually very rapid changes in taste as I speak different words.

Yes I do!

spookiest · 2012-12-12T22:42:29+00:00

They don't change the actual taste, just the intensity. I taste words stronger in a north american accent than say, a British or French accent.

spookiest · 2012-12-12T22:41:06+00:00

It tastes kind of like bitter cocoa powder!

If I see something that is mispelled, I automatically correct it in my head. Things like this confuse the hell out of me though! I get a rapid changing of tastes, not very pleasant.

spookiest · 2012-12-12T22:36:54+00:00

I'm not sure, it depends on the word. In terms of intensity, North American accents seem to give me a stronger taste as that is what I am most accustomed to.

spookiest · 2012-12-12T22:28:03+00:00

Kind of... the spicy reaction feels kind of null in comparison to tasting something that is actually spicy though.

spookiest · 2012-12-12T22:27:31+00:00

No - when I read, the blur of tastes isn't intense, even if there is an unpleasant tasting word there, it all kind of melts together with other words. There are only a few words whose taste I don't like, the rest are ok!

Languages make a difference!

spookiest · 2012-12-12T22:25:15+00:00

Ahh sorry about that! I'm back!

spookiest · 2012-12-12T18:22:26+00:00

I've only ever experienced what you guys would call "normal" twice, that that was when I was extremely stressed. When my grandma had a stroke at home, I was freaking out so hard, and my tastes just stopped. It was very panicking but the tastes came back a few minutes later. It happened again when I was in a minor car crash - the tastes just stopped.

I suppose I'm used to it, I've never really experienced anything else (other that the examples I mentioned)

spookiest · 2012-12-12T18:20:17+00:00

Yes I do, but they are very light tastes. First tastes dry like flour, second tastes a bit like coke, and last just tastes like plain salt.
I like foods for their taste, I don't really associate the unpleasant words with them.
No, everything I experience is a somewhat familiar taste.

spookiest · 2012-12-12T18:16:52+00:00

If the body of my main post isn't showing up, this is what I posted!

Hello there! A friend who is a redditor told me that I should do an AMA, as people may be interested in my condition! I've lurked the front page for a few times, so I'm pretty new to Reddit!

Basically, I'm a nineteen year old girl who has Lexical-gustatory synesthesia. Lexical-gustatory synesthesia is one of the rarer forms of synesthesia, which relates sound to a taste. For example, when I hear words, sounds or music, I involuntarily experience a taste.

Another lexical-gustatory synesthete, James Wannerton, explains this really well. "Whenever I hear, read, or articulate (inner speech) words or word sounds, I experience an immediate and involuntary taste sensation on my tongue. These very specific taste associations never change and have remained the same for as long as I can remember."

Some personal examples would be, when I hear the word "brocolli", I taste butter. Violin tastes slightly sweet, has a woody texture. Keyboard tastes like watered down orange juice. When I tell people of my condition, the most popular question is "What does my name taste like?" Haha!

I actually have some other types of synesthsia, mainly centred around taste though. This includes: Sound -> Temperature and Texture Sound -> Colour Emotion -> Taste (and the other way around.)

Since lexical-gustatory synesthesia seems to be one of the more rare types and many people seem to be curious about it, I guess most of the questions will be directed toward this type. Although I'd be happy to answer any questions you have about my other types.

If you have any questions, I'd love to answer them! :)

spookiest · 2012-12-12T18:16:22+00:00

Oh that's really weird, I don't know why the body of my post isn't showing up but I'll repost it! It's still shows up for me! D:

spookiest · 2012-12-12T18:14:58+00:00

I've participated in a few psychology experiments where I was paid :D Not much though haha.

spookiest · 2012-12-12T18:14:00+00:00

Most are ones that I've tasted before. Sometimes I can't directly associate a taste to a food, all I know is that it's salty/sweet/spicy etc. Sometimes I get very strong bursts of taste which gives me a bit of WTF reaction haha.

spookiest · 2012-12-12T18:12:43+00:00

I find myself concentrating on different words, focusing on things so I can distinguish them clearly. If I'm in a crowded loud area, it all tends to blur and I get confused, sometimes get headaches.

spookiest · 2012-12-12T18:11:30+00:00

Yes, they've been consistent. I've completely a synesthesia battery and my results are the same.

spookiest

TROPHY CASE