Kanye West, Billie Eilish, Lorde, Pharell Williams, and many other talented artists all share a unique characteristic that enhances their abilities: synesthesia. Defined as a perceptual phenomenon where two or more senses are connected that allow the individual to experience their sensations differently than most, synesthesia is an idiosyncratic phenomenon.
There have been documented experiences of synesthesia since the 1800s, but only recently has it been explored more in-depth. Synesthesia can come in many forms such as lexical-gustatory, where words evoke tastes; grapheme-color synesthesia, where certain letters or numbers are associated with specific colors; and one of the more common out of the 60 types, chromesthesia.
The ability to bridge the gap between sound and color is an ability few creators and artists have that intensifies their talents and contributes to their creative processes. Billy Joel has especially gone into detail on how his gift of chromesthesia has enhanced his process when creating music. In an interview with Psychology Today he explained, “When I think of different melodies, which are slower or softer like ‘Lullaby,’ ‘And So It Goes,’ and ‘Vienna,’ I think in terms of blues or greens.” Vivid reds, oranges, and golds are what Joel thinks of when working with stronger melodic or rhythmic patterns.
Each individual who experiences chromesthesia experiences it slightly differently from the next. Pharrell Williams described his experiences with chromesthesia with Psychology Today: “For every color, there is a sound, a vibration, a part of the human body, a number, a musical note … You have all of your chakras, you have the pituitary, the pineal, the thymus thyroid, the adrenal and the gonad and so on.”
One of the earliest reported individuals with chromesthesia was Russian composer and pianist Alexander Scriabin. Known to be controversial, he was also one of the most innovative composers in the early 1900s. Scriabin went as far as to create his own color system based on the circle of fifths, which in music theory is a way of organizing the 12 chromatic pitches as a sequence of perfect fifths. Scriabin even invented a clavier à lumières (keyboard with lights) for one of his compositions.
This keyboard has been the inspiration for the creation of modern-day music software that involves color. The Virtuoso 3.0 is an example of modern-day technology that was inspired by the sensory condition an artist experienced hundreds of years ago. The Virtuoso 3.0 optimizes harmonization by allowing users to play songs based on color-coded keys, similar to how Scriabin created his keyboard in that each note corresponded to a specific shade from his color wheel.
Reportedly around 2% to 4% of the population have synesthesia, and it tends to run in families. Around 40% of synesthetes have reported having a first-degree relative with the condition. Chromesthesia is a phenomenon that many individuals do not realize they have, since to them, the intertwining of their senses is not an abnormal experience. However, for the regular folk, the experience of chromesthesia is one that can be difficult to wrap your head around.
Increased communication between the sensory regions of one’s brain causes chromesthesia to occur. Different forms of synesthesia can be induced in response to drugs, sensory deprivation, or brain damage; however, it can also be the product of heritable gene variants. Scientists’ research on the genetic basis of synesthesia suggests that the phenomenon is heterogeneous (when a single clinical disorder can be caused by several genes) and polygenic (when two or more genes work together to produce the trait). The majority of selective genes that are currently present in our species have a history of providing us with an advantage. However, in regards to synesthesia, it is unclear if it ever provided a selective advantage or if it is just a byproduct of some other useful selective trait.
It can be interesting to consider whether or not chromesthesia has stuck around for so long due to our species’ love for the creative arts. Critically acclaimed artists have been able to amplify their music through chromesthesia, and our appreciation and enjoyment of their work may contribute to the gene continuing to persist.
Image courtesy of PickPik