But it's only in recent decades that scientists have been able to use brain imaging and other modern research methods to gain a better understanding of house. This leisure works and white. mind kirk. So what is it like to have cynthia. What might cause it. And how did the brains of people with cinna sesia differ from those people without it. What can we learn about the human mind more generally from studying cinecitta and other sensory differences. Welcome to speaking of psychology. The flagship podcast of the american psychological association that examines the links between psychological science and everyday life. Our guest today is dr. Jill sim there. A professor of neuropsychologist at the university of sussex in the united kingdom who specializes in multi sensory research. She has studied. Since these young adults and children for nearly two decades she also has other sensory differences including mischief omnia and extreme aversion to certain sounds and fantasia the inability to see pictures. In your mind's eye we'll discuss these today to and talk about what links these threads of research together. Thank you for joining us today. Dr similar. Thanks very much for the invitation. So some of our listeners have probably heard of cynicism or at least the most common forms of it like people seeing colors when they hear music but sissies a lot more varied than people may realize. And you've written and tested for one hundred twenty eight different types. What types are out there. What are the differences in the commonalities. It's quite hard to estimate. Exactly how many types of sinister they're all because some could be quite well hidden but the ones we know most about the ones that people can realize most readily. I'm report to us most easily. And i think for that reason we tend to think of the most common types of citizens here is being the ones that trigger unusual perceptions so experiencing colors when you are reading words looking at numbers listening to music And then perhaps more obscurely swimming so different swimming strokes causing different color perceptions. Perhaps even reading rail will also and watching signers in sign language or these are known to trigger colors. But as i said i'm older people talk about colors. Most often in the context I think it may be. That color suggests the easiest to report because there are many different opposite aesthetic sensation. So you could experience flavors that flood the mouse. So you'll reading. Annual mouth is being bombarded with sensations of yorkshire pudding. Prices peas obita lemon all nice. Orange fruit sweets. Which is what. Julia tastes of mine. Julia all pass less pleasant taste. So the taste of earwax. All of the things that you wouldn't want in your mouth may be So that that's also another type of citizenry number about your question. There are many different kinds of citizens they can trigger colors tastes smells textures bodily feelings and the compulsion even to put your body into certain shapes all formation so i remember very rare case for many years ago of a professor who had an urge to form shapes with his body in response to different words that he had so many types. So you said your name has a flavor is that universal How does your name have flavor. Yeah that's a good point. So what i described to you. I think he wouldn't mind me mentioning this tool what i described to. You was the taste of the taste of the nine julia as experienced by James warburton james wanted ten as a particularly State of for me not under. I studied james for the last twenty years. But james has been an amazing advocate for the Community he is the president of the uk. Say the seizure association and he has taken part in so much outreach himself to help people to understand the condition and for james. The name julia taste of a orange fruits weeks. It's actually a branded fruit. Sweet The interesting thing is most people who may jewels samna. They use my name nickname jewels but with james. We don't do that. Because jules does not taste as nice as julia. Joe's has been of unpleasant taste. James politely tells me it takes. I think it may actually a taste of drool saliva because we know that there are links between the word that triggers soonest asia on the type taste experienced and from my twenty years of research. I rather suspect that joel's tastes drool. Which is why. We use the nigeria. Do to people with music and collars sesia actually see colors in the world around them when they hear music or is it more like just something in their minds. I said the answer to that depends on the sinister gyo speaking to because there are several different ways that sinister Can experience color so this was captured quite nicely by our colleagues mike dixon and daniel smack and their team in canada. They were able to name project too soon. The states versus associated estates so associated Experienced that colors somewhere in the minds. I like a kind of strong internal mental imagery to soon. The state will see that colors projected out in the outside world so a couple of examples if you have colored lettuce numbers and our project in a state you may see those colors superimposed onto the texts that you'll reading all. I'm sure he wouldn't mind me describing a all as described to me by a sinister scientists. Julian asha those colors can be projected out there in the world. I'm floating in space. So julian asher is geneticist. Who helped us to understand the genetics asia and. He told me that when he was a young boy his parents take him to the symphony and he assumed that the house lights dimmed so that people could see the colors better because for him the orchestra has colors floating above it. He actually thought why else would anybody didn't house lights apart from to see the sadistic That's in your mind or in the outside world. Yeah and sometimes experienced in unusual ways. I remember a student of mine for twenty years ago. Who experienced pain as collars and for her. The colors were cone that projected from her head in color and if she thought very hard about the shape of the cone she could moderate.