Sounds such as environmental noises, musical notes, or tones trigger the perception of colors, often seen in the mind's eye or projected into space.
Inducer
sound
Concurrent
color
Category
Auditory Visual
Chromesthesia (sound-color synesthesia) is one of the most common and best-studied forms. Sounds trigger the perception of colors, often seen in the mind's eye or projected into space. Richard Cytowic described it as 'something like fireworks.' Van Gogh was reportedly expelled from piano lessons when his teacher noticed he associated notes with colors. Research shows enhanced connectivity between auditory cortex and visual areas (V4/V8).
Ward, J. et al. (2024). Synaesthesia and music preference. Psychology of Music, 53(3).
View publication →Eckardt, L. et al. (2024). Neuroplasticity and grapheme-color synesthesia. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 18.
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