Have you ever heard of synesthesia? A woman on Twitter says she has it. In her case, she can taste words. She started a Twitter thread telling people what their names taste like. (1)
What Is Synesthesia
If you don’t know what synesthesia is, then you are probably quite lost right now. To get you up to speed, synesthesia is when a person experiences one sense as another. For example, when “see” music as colors or shapes. It’s not dangerous to your health, and it is not a mental health condition. It is, however, much more common than you might think. (1, 2)
People with synesthesia don’t usually actively think about their perceptions; they just happen. In Julie McDowell’s case, she can taste words. (3)
I have synesthesia which means I can “taste” words. Ask me what your name tastes like.
— Julie McDowall (@JulieAMcDowall) January 27, 2019
Let Me Taste Your Name
For a bit of fun, McDowell decided to let people on Twitter know that she had synesthesia. Then she told them to ask her what their name tastes like. She did clarify that she tastes 90% of words, and then the other 10% of the time, she experiences other sensations and images. (3)
Plenty of people chimed in to find out what their names taste like. Here are a few of her responses (3):
- Jesus: Maltesers
- Catherine: A rusk dipped in chocolate and coffee
- Katie: A good, sturdy cake-like Madeira
- Barbara: Plastic colored ring
- Keith: Minty chewing gum
- Kaitlin: Sponge cake
- Tilly: Buttons on an antique cash register
- Fiona: Smell of hair dye
- Belinda: The sensation of touching her eyelid
- Joe/Joeseph: Leathery chunky button on an older man’s cardigan
- Duncan: A burp after eating smoky bacon chips
- Cynthia: A heavily beaded dress
- Michaela: Flavorless salt and vinegar Ringos
- Ross: A Gregg’s sausage roll (A British item)
- Hannah: A grey, tasteless banana
- Amy: Raw bacon strips
- Sabine: Soapy
- Luke: A decapitated snake’s head
- Graham: Cold stew
- Shane: Furniture polish
- Adrian: An expired Aero bar
- Zoe: A bumblebee
- Gus: A cracked egg with yolk spilling all over
- Bryan: Coconut stuck between her teeth
- Darren and Ian: Feels like an earache
- Majella: Apricot jam
- Amelia: Muesli
- Geneva: Christmas tinsel
- Vickie: Purple icing
- Rebecca: Shortbread
- Julie/Julie: Watery eyeballs
- Lou: Soft toffee
- Benjamin: Ginger
- Deb: Rubbery, raw meat
- Paul: The inside of a Cadbury cream egg
- Marty/Mark/Martin/Martha: Itching a scab
If your name is not on the list, you can check the entire thread here.
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Sources
- “What Is Synesthesia?” Healthline. Kathryn Watson. October 24, 2018.
- “What is synesthesia?” Faculty