Synesthesia is when you hear music, but you see shapes. Or you hear a word or a name and instantly see a color. Synesthesia is a name for when you experience one of your senses through another. For example, you might hear the name "Alex" and see green. Or you might read the word "street" and taste citrus fruit.

    The word "synesthesia" has Greek roots. It translates to “perceive together.” Synesthesia isn’t a disease or disorder. It won’t harm your health, and it doesn’t mean you’re mentally ill. Some studies suggest people who have it may do better on memory and intelligence tests than those who don’t.

    One of the most common responses is to see letters, numbers, or sounds as colors. You might also see or hear a word and taste food; hear sounds and see shapes or patterns; feel a touch when seeing someone else being touched. (This is called mirror touch.)

    It can be an annoyance. But most synesthetes see their condition as a sixth sense, not a drawback.

    You can’t control it. The response happens right away. For example, if you hear a new piece of music, you may see a color or taste a flavor without any effort.

    It just happens. It’s internal, mostly. The colors are just in your mind.

    It stays the same over time.

    If you see the letter "A" in green today, you’ll see it in green 10 years from now. It often starts in childhood. Studies of kids with synesthesia found that it develops over time. webmd.com.

December 17, 2024. Adaptado.

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    The idea of time blindness, or difficulty perceiving and managing time, has spread across social media. While there is no diagnosis for it, some people explain that, despite their best efforts, they frequently lose track of time, underestimate or overestimate how long tasks will take, show up late, and miss deadlines.

    Time blindness is a psychological phenomenon that nearly everyone experiences from time to time, said Michael Manos, at the Cleveland Clinic.

      “Who doesn’t get completely occupied with a hobby or a conversation they’re having with somebody, or some kind of activity that is so interesting that it occupies attention, and it takes attention away from other things that might be pressing?” he said.

     Not all experts agree, but some suggest that it could be a limitation for some people.

    Renae Beaumont, an associate professor of psychology in clinical psychiatry, said time blindness and flow, a state of intense focus in an activity that is engaging, enjoyable and temporarily distracts from the passage of time, are different phenomena.

    “Flow is typically associated with positive emotions when you’re doing something you enjoy, and you are able to shift to a different task when you need to. Time blindness involves getting stuck, losing track of time and typically having trouble transitioning to a different task,” she said.

    There is no clear consensus, but some researchers consider time blindness to be an impairment in temporal perception, or the way the brain experiences time.

    Certain strategies may help people who struggle with time perception and management, experts said. Use digital reminders including alarms, timers and calendars to keep track of appointments, dates and deadlines. Washington Post.

February 5, 2025. Adaptado.