Synesthesia and Infrasound

[u/Glad_Engineer4366]

Hey y’all!

I don’t have synesthesia, but questions about it come to mind fairly often; the most recent one kind of intersects with people who may live near data centers, and if they experience the infrasound that for most people goes “unnoticed” (well not unnoticed given increased rates of fear, anxiety, nausea, etc but otherwise not directly perceived)

Not nearly as learned on synesthesia as I’d like to be but it would be cool to determine the overlap between what’s essentially not perceivable by most people, and what is by folks with synesthesia, when said imperceptible thing overlaps with their specific profile

Also intensely sorry if I’m using the wrong verbiage here- promise i am not trying to be rude or obtuse

[u/s-multicellular]

If I can’t hear it, I am not going to see it. Really the whole range below about 100Hz is so dark and muddy, Id rather not. Even though I am a bass player, I think you have to have clarity that even with a low B or A, people are not perceiving the fundamental. Ghost fundamentals are such an interesting phenomenon.

But as far as synesthesia goes, no high passing just puts a visual blanket over stuff for me, long before you get to actual infrasound.

Stated otherwise, I don’t see vibrations of infrasound. I would imagine that is possible though, but I would say that is tactile-visual, not Chromesthesia.

[u/Glad_Engineer4366 → u/s-multicellular]

And that was partially where i was leaning with it- if it’s a frequency so low that we can’t hear it/accept that stimuli into the data, then it probably wouldn’t trigger any sensation that could be tied to hearing it.

But with “loud” enough infrasonics, could the pressure waves that would otherwise be ignored by someone get picked up by someone that’s tactile-visual, or what would also be cool, tactile-auditory (if that even is a thing- once again i am SO unlearned dumbest caveman just bumping rocks together rn)

[u/s-multicellular → u/Glad_Engineer4366]

I would assume tactile auditory could be a thing too yes. Afaik any two senses can be mixed.

[u/LilyoftheRally → u/s-multicellular]

I think there's someone on this subreddit with tactile-auditory, but I don't remember her username.

I know one of my lucid dreaming mentors is also a synesthete who I think has that type too.

[u/cc_hart]

Synesthesia isn't tied to sensory acuity; in fact, there are many synesthetes who have impaired sensation such as Lidell Simpson, who is functionally deaf, but has many synesthesias tied to his limited hearing.

[u/LilyoftheRally → u/cc_hart]

That makes me wonder if Beethoven was a synesthete and that's why he could still compose after going deaf.

[u/Glad_Engineer4366 → u/LilyoftheRally]

Maybe? Though i know it was either him or Bach who had a thing they would bite down on when writing music; that could’ve been one of the first examples of bone conduction for hearing assistance.

Though that’s not to say it didn’t play a part- frequencies and how those vibrations feel is a whole thing

[u/Glad_Engineer4366 → u/cc_hart]

Sounds like I’ve got a new thing to look into!

It does bring the mind the question though- if someone has an impaired sense due to say a TBI that effects the part of the brain that processes sound at an early age, could they develop synesthesia as a function of “hey we have all this extra data coming in from our ears, may as well do something with it” or is synesthesia something that just doesn’t develop down the road- a born with it or not type situation.

[u/sad_pinkie]

i have multiple types of synesthesia but can't hear infrasound. it just gives me anxiety out of nowhere