How does your name taste? The strange science of synaesthesia

This article is part of a series in which we speak to individuals who – due to a unique job, location or experience – share an insight they wish others could know.

Key points

• US President Donald Trump's voice and name taste like melted cheddar cheese to Makridakis, while British actor Daniel Radcliffe.
• As a child, Constantina Makridakis, a 28-year-old jewellery designer from Greece, thought everyone could taste voices and names.
• Although the true number may be higher, Neufeld remarked, it is estimated that 2 to 4 percent of the world's population experiences some form of synaesthesia.
• While her mother's name, Maria, was pasta with prawns, her father's name, Nicholas, tasted like caramel-coated chocolate.
• Hungarian composer Franz Liszt is additionally believed to have been a synesthete, experiencing musical notes as colours.

What's the one thing individuals should know? We're all thinking differently regarding the same thing.

In practice, the tastes were usually pleasant; the name Paul, a rich chocolate liquor, was particularly delicious.

"I thought everyone had this ability, " she explained. "It seemed natural to me. We talk from our mouth, so it created sense we additionally taste names and voices. It seemed connected to me, so I didn't ask anyone regarding this."

When her sister, Amelia, whose name tasted sweet – often in the form of syrup or jam – informed her concerning a documentary on synaesthesia, that was until one day in her late teens.

After watching it, Makridakis realised she had a form of synaesthesia, a perceptual phenomenon in which sensory experience triggers another.

For context, the experience of synaesthesia can vary significantly. For example, American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish experiences the names of days of the week as colours, numbers and shapes.

Hungarian composer Franz Liszt is additionally believed to have been a synesthete, experiencing musical notes as colours. In 1842, he is remarked to have confused musicians in the Weimar orchestra when he instructed them, "Gentlemen, a little bluer, if you please!"

Janina Neufeld, a researcher at the Centre of Neurodevelopmental Disorders at Karolinska Institutet (KIND) in Sweden, remarked that although it may seem surprising for non-synesthetes to hear concerning Makridakis's experience, most of us can relate if we think regarding our own internal sensory associations.

"When we listen to music, most people can relate to the idea that sounds could be brighter, smaller or higher up in space. This is to some extent what a synesthete perceives, " she remarked.

Although the true number may be higher, Neufeld remarked, it is estimated that 2 to 4 percent of the world's population experiences some form of synaesthesia. Like Makridakis, plenty of do not realise they have it – or that their experiences are unusual.

Neufeld herself experiences a form of spatial sequence synaesthesia, a milder variation that some individuals may have without realising. At KIND's offices in Stockholm, she explained her version by closing her eyes and outlining a circle in the air with her finger. It she described as a full year.

On the circle, which she remarked exists in her "inner space" or mind, the year starts at the bottom of an undulating sphere. It she described as looking like a roller coaster track, and goes counterclockwise, with some months, such as December, longer than others.

How synaesthesia works on a neurological level is not yet fully understood, Neufeld explained.

One leading theory suggests that synesthetes may experience less "synaptic pruning" during childhood, a process in which neurons and synapses that are not needed are removed. For example, a child may strengthen the synapses related to a parent's voice but prune those related to strangers, reinforcing useful connections and removing redundant ones.

For context, the idea is that this pruning process is less extensive for individuals with synaesthesia, allowing extra cross‑sensory connections to remain. Neufeld, who has studied Makridakis's case, remarked researchers have identified solid evidence that sensory regions of residents who experience synaesthesia exhibit more brain activation and rose interaction between different brain regions. 'We see different things'.

Makridakis remarked her synaesthesia can be over-stimulating at times. For example, if she is watching a film and an actor's voice tastes like orange juice, she can find herself distracted by that sensory connection.

It can additionally lead to unhealthy temptations. The American accent tastes like Coca-Cola. It means when she is in the United States, she can find herself craving the sugary soft drink.

US President Donald Trump's voice and name taste like melted cheddar cheese to Makridakis, while British actor Daniel Radcliffe. This person played Harry Potter in the popular film series, tastes like chocolate milk, while US hip-hop star Eminem's voice tastes like Cheetos.

Overall, though, Makridakis is fascinated by her perceptions and feels that if synaesthesia is studied more, it could lead to a deeper understanding of the human mind.

At times, she has flirted with the idea that synaesthesia could hold some spiritual meaning, especially since she can additionally experience a form in which a colour can shimmer around residents. Her sister, for example, appears sometimes with a dark green halo around her.

If there is one thing non-synesthetes can learn from her experience, she remarked, it is that "we're all thinking differently about the same thing".

"We should always remember that everyone's mind is completely different. We could say that the same colour is red; we could call it red, but we see different things, " she remarked. Neufeld echoed this sentiment.

"Usually we think that everyone perceives the world similarly. We think sensory inputs are perceived the same, but synaesthesia shows there is more to the sensory experience; there are also a lot of internal associations and experiences that can be very rich, " she explained. "Synaesthesia illustrates perfectly how differently we actually perceive the world." Other articles in the series. Why closure matters at the end of life.

Taken together, the developments around how does your name taste? The strange science of synaesthesia point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.