Wednesday Is Indigo Blue
Encyclopedia
Wednesday Is Indigo Blue: Discovering the Brain of Synesthesia is a 2009 non-fiction
book written by Richard Cytowic
and David Eagleman
documenting the current scientific understanding of synesthesia
, a perceptual condition where an experience of one sense
(such as sight) causes an automatic and involuntary experience in another sense (such as hearing). The afterword is written by Dimitri Nabokov, a synesthete, and the son of the well known author and synesthete Vladimir Nabokov
.
where there are no barriers and all of the elements interact. Normally communication in the brain is like weather in the Rocky Mountain regions, where weather can be isolated in one spot independent of weather systems close by. Chapter 1, "What color is Tuesday?", describes some of the early and still common resistance to the existence and study of synesthesia, and explains the fundamental characteristics necessary to "diagnose" synesthesia. The authors advocate the usefulness of introspective reports
as they can later be useful in developing third-party tests for such purposes. Form constant
s are introduced as part of a framework to study visual synesthetic concurrents (the involuntary response in another sense). Chapter 2 builds on Chapter 1, discussing the types of synesthesia and the methods used to make a synesthesia diagnosis such as variations on stroop tests. The potential benefits of synesthesia are expanded on, including its correlation with eidetic memory
and experience of a wider ranger of color. Chapter 3 discusses grapheme-color synesthesia
in detail and describes the case of Solomon Shereshevsky.
or is more like a kind of spandrel
. In Cytowic's responses he has mentioned the relationship between synesthesia and creativity suggesting that because synesthesia is associated with creativity it is adaptive. In his interview with Jonah Lehrer
he maintained that this is one of the reasons why its prevalence, estimated at one in twenty-three people, is so high. Cytowic also suggested synesthesia could be expressed in non-sensory parts of the brain (e.g. memory, planning and moral reasoning) increasing creativity in related to those subjects a well. Conversely the increased communication could be expressed even more diffusely in the brain resulting in a generalized talent for connecting apparently unrelated topics.
In an interview with Seed Magazine Eagleman explained further that the genes responsible for the increased communication in synesthetes may also be present in non-synesthetes, but there would be additional difficulties researching this phenomenon as there would be no perceptual correlates allowing researches to identify such people. He added that he is researching spot thought to be related to Grapheme-color synesthesia
on chromosome sixteen
.
In her review of the book, New Scientist
columnist Lize Else described Cytowic as a pioneer in synesthesia research. She used a phrase from the authors to explain the correlation between synesthesia and creativity, namely that synesthesia eases the process of making "metaphoric cross-connections" between different areas in the brain.
Non-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
book written by Richard Cytowic
Richard Cytowic
Richard E. Cytowic is an American neurologist and author who rekindled interest in studying synesthesia in the 1980s. He was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for his New York Times Magazine cover story about James Brady, the Presidential Press Secretary shot in the brain during the assassination...
and David Eagleman
David Eagleman
David Eagleman is a neuroscientist at Baylor College of Medicine, where he directs the Laboratory for Perception and Action and the Initiative on Neuroscience and Law. He is best known for his work on time perception, synesthesia, and neurolaw...
documenting the current scientific understanding of synesthesia
Synesthesia
Synesthesia , from the ancient Greek , "together," and , "sensation," is a neurologically based condition in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway...
, a perceptual condition where an experience of one sense
Sense
Senses are physiological capacities of organisms that provide inputs for perception. The senses and their operation, classification, and theory are overlapping topics studied by a variety of fields, most notably neuroscience, cognitive psychology , and philosophy of perception...
(such as sight) causes an automatic and involuntary experience in another sense (such as hearing). The afterword is written by Dimitri Nabokov, a synesthete, and the son of the well known author and synesthete Vladimir Nabokov
Vladimir Nabokov
Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov was a multilingual Russian novelist and short story writer. Nabokov wrote his first nine novels in Russian, then rose to international prominence as a master English prose stylist...
.
Synopsis
The introduction likens the "cross-talk" occurring in the brain producing synesthetic experiences to weather patterns in coastal regionsCoastal geography
Coastal geography is the study of the dynamic interface between the ocean and the land, incorporating both the physical geography and the human geography of the coast...
where there are no barriers and all of the elements interact. Normally communication in the brain is like weather in the Rocky Mountain regions, where weather can be isolated in one spot independent of weather systems close by. Chapter 1, "What color is Tuesday?", describes some of the early and still common resistance to the existence and study of synesthesia, and explains the fundamental characteristics necessary to "diagnose" synesthesia. The authors advocate the usefulness of introspective reports
Introspection
Introspection is the self-observation and reporting of conscious inner thoughts, desires and sensations. It is a conscious and purposive process relying on thinking, reasoning, and examining one's own thoughts, feelings, and, in more spiritual cases, one's soul...
as they can later be useful in developing third-party tests for such purposes. Form constant
Form constant
A form constant is one of several geometric patterns which are recurringly observed during hallucinations and altered states of consciousness.-History:...
s are introduced as part of a framework to study visual synesthetic concurrents (the involuntary response in another sense). Chapter 2 builds on Chapter 1, discussing the types of synesthesia and the methods used to make a synesthesia diagnosis such as variations on stroop tests. The potential benefits of synesthesia are expanded on, including its correlation with eidetic memory
Eidetic memory
Eidetic , commonly referred to as photographic memory, is a medical term, popularly defined as the ability to recall images, sounds, or objects in memory with extreme precision and in abundant volume. The word eidetic, referring to extraordinarily detailed and vivid recall not limited to, but...
and experience of a wider ranger of color. Chapter 3 discusses grapheme-color synesthesia
Grapheme-color synesthesia
Grapheme → color synesthesia is a form of synesthesia in which an individual's perception of numbers and letters is associated with the experience of colors. Like all forms of synesthesia, grapheme → color synesthesia is involuntary, consistent, and memorable...
in detail and describes the case of Solomon Shereshevsky.
Reception
In interviews related to the book Cytowic has discussed the evolutionary purpose synesthesia, whether it is an adaptive product of natural selectionNatural selection
Natural selection is the nonrandom process by which biologic traits become either more or less common in a population as a function of differential reproduction of their bearers. It is a key mechanism of evolution....
or is more like a kind of spandrel
Spandrel (biology)
In evolutionary biology, a Spandrel is a phenotypic characteristic that is a byproduct of the evolution of some other characteristic, rather than a direct product of adaptive selection.-Origin of Term:...
. In Cytowic's responses he has mentioned the relationship between synesthesia and creativity suggesting that because synesthesia is associated with creativity it is adaptive. In his interview with Jonah Lehrer
Jonah Lehrer
Jonah Lehrer is an American journalist who writes on the topics of psychology, neuroscience, and the relationship between science and the humanities...
he maintained that this is one of the reasons why its prevalence, estimated at one in twenty-three people, is so high. Cytowic also suggested synesthesia could be expressed in non-sensory parts of the brain (e.g. memory, planning and moral reasoning) increasing creativity in related to those subjects a well. Conversely the increased communication could be expressed even more diffusely in the brain resulting in a generalized talent for connecting apparently unrelated topics.
In an interview with Seed Magazine Eagleman explained further that the genes responsible for the increased communication in synesthetes may also be present in non-synesthetes, but there would be additional difficulties researching this phenomenon as there would be no perceptual correlates allowing researches to identify such people. He added that he is researching spot thought to be related to Grapheme-color synesthesia
Grapheme-color synesthesia
Grapheme → color synesthesia is a form of synesthesia in which an individual's perception of numbers and letters is associated with the experience of colors. Like all forms of synesthesia, grapheme → color synesthesia is involuntary, consistent, and memorable...
on chromosome sixteen
Chromosome 16 (human)
125px|rightChromosome 16 is one of the 23 pairs of chromosomes in humans. People normally have two copies of this chromosome. Chromosome 16 spans about 90 million base pairs and represents just under 3 % of the total DNA in cells.Identifying genes on each chromosome is an active area of genetic...
.
In her review of the book, New Scientist
New Scientist
New Scientist is a weekly non-peer-reviewed English-language international science magazine, which since 1996 has also run a website, covering recent developments in science and technology for a general audience. Founded in 1956, it is published by Reed Business Information Ltd, a subsidiary of...
columnist Lize Else described Cytowic as a pioneer in synesthesia research. She used a phrase from the authors to explain the correlation between synesthesia and creativity, namely that synesthesia eases the process of making "metaphoric cross-connections" between different areas in the brain.
External links
- Wednesday Is Indigo Blue page at MIT Press
- Richard Cytowic's page for Wednesday Is Indigo Blue
- David Eagleman's page for Wednesday Is Indigo Blue
- The "Synesthesia Battery" - A test constructed by David Eagleman intended to identify people with synesthesia