In her new book, Tasting the Universe, Maureen Seaberg takes readers on an “Eat, Pray, Love” style exploration of a fascinating, newly discovered phenomenon where people “see” and sometimes “taste” colors and forms in music and words.
Occurring in about 5% of the American population, synesthesia is scientifically described as a cross-wiring, or lack of chemical inhibition, between brain neurons.
Seaberg recounts her own life-long abilities as a “synesthete” and the hair-raising experiences of musicians, artists, actors, writers and other creatives who possess this condition, such as Itzhak Perlman, Billy Joel, Pharrell Williams, and Marilyn Monroe.
Have you ever heard that the reason we all type “www” countless times a day is because one of the inventors of the internet, Sir Robert Cailliau, is a synesthete who sees “w” in his favorite color, dark green, and settled on the name for it that way?
A frequent media guest and an expert on the subjects of fear and stress, Seaberg gives a fascinating interview.
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