Increased Incidence of Synesthesia among INTJs and INFJs?

[Haphazard]

a sensation produced in one modality when a stimulus is applied to another modality, as when the hearing of a certain sound induces the visualization of a certain color.

I saw the thread on 'I Will Out-Abstract You', and it jumpstarted my thinking.

INTJs and INFJs both have Ni as their leading function.

Ni is described thus at congnitiveprocesses.com:

troverted iNtuiting involves synthesizing the seemingly paradoxical or contradictory, which takes understanding to a new level. Using this process, we can have moments when completely new, unimagined realizations come to us. A disengagement from interactions in the room occurs, followed by a sudden “Aha!” or “That’s it!” The sense of the future and the realizations that come from introverted iNtuiting have a sureness and an imperative quality that seem to demand action and help us stay focused on fulfilling our vision or dream of how things will be in the future. Using this process, we might rely on a focal device or symbolic action to predict, enlighten, or transform. We could find ourselves laying out how the future will unfold based on unseen trends and telling signs. This process can involve working out complex concepts or systems of thinking or conceiving of symbolic or novel ways to understand things that are universal. It can lead to creating transcendent experiences or solutions.

I was also reading a particular thread here and was thinking that many of the perceptions described by INTJs here sound downright synesthetic.

So, in my research on synesthesia, it's a consistent brain misfire that confuses two pieces of sensory input. Apparently the occurence of this is more common in children than in adults, and usually goes away -- children use this sort of process to learn and it goes away as the brain develops and becomes more set in its ways. Sometimes, though, adult brains remain set in this way and thus some people get synesthesia.

So, the question is, is there an increased incidence of synethesia on those who have Ni as a leading function? This Ni focus on symbolic and esoteric thoughts seem like they could be related -- or is synesthesia strictly neurological and Ni strictly psychological?

It could be that somebody who retains the brain functions related to synesthesia would likely trust Ni, and thus it would become a leading function, or if an extrovert, an auxillary function (ENTJ, ENFJ). But then again, at the moment, this is guessing in the dark. :p

[curiousjane]

I was also reading a particular thread here and was thinking that many of the perceptions described by INTJs here sound downright synesthetic.

Wow. Me too. :idea:

Especially in the instance of the person who views numbers as objects/images on a timeline. That has synesthesia written all over it.

Anyone see numbers or words as specific colors? Taste shapes? Hear colors?

[acyckowski]

Would synesthesia explain why I tell my INTx son, "Get your sister a cup of milk," and he hears "Pull your sister's hair until she cries."?

I don't necessarily get the sensory mismatch in real time, but I do associate certain memories with completely irrelevant tastes. It's usually some inoccuous tidbit of my past called to mind by something else, and then I taste either metal or blood.

I wouldn't be surprised in the least if there were a connection. I love a great paradox or irony.

[TheLastMohican]

My INFJ mother is synesthetic, and I am very slightly so. I do not see numbers in certain colors or anything like that. But when I close my eyes while listening to music, I see vivid patterns and colors; Very clear impressions that visualize the music. I strongly suspect that the creators of Fantasia had this tendency. This really only happens when I let it, though. I do not notice it unless I close my eyes and pay attention to it.

I think things like the visualization of the calendar and such are not necessarily tied to synesthesia. Synesthesia is a crossover of the senses caused by slight underdevelopments of sensory information-organizing portions of the brain.

[Haphazard]

I think things like the visualization of the calendar and such are not necessarily tied to synesthesia. Synesthesia is a crossover of the senses caused by slight underdevelopments of sensory information-organizing portions of the brain.

They may not necessarily be, but how does the visualization come about? Is the association automatic and uncontrollable, as described by Ni's definition? :irked: I should have made a poll. I really regret that now.

[TheLastMohican]

They may not necessarily be, but how does the visualization come about? Is the association automatic and uncontrollable, as described by Ni's definition? :irked: I should have made a poll. I really regret that now.

This phenomenon was explained very well in the "The Art of Clear Thinking," but I cannot remember what the tendency was called. As far as I know it cannot be controlled.

[Haphazard]

This phenomenon was explained very well in the "The Art of Clear Thinking," but I cannot remember what the tendency was called. As far as I know it cannot be controlled.

I may have to look that up now...

If you remember what it was called, please, let me know.

[TheLastMohican]

I may have to look that up now...

If you remember what it was called, please, let me know.

It has to do with a certain personality trait that I think is separate from MBTI types. I'll try to find the book (I don't remember where it is).

[The Many]

Yes, I am synaesthetic, and in fact I also posted a thread on this topic quite a while ago. I hear music in colours, as someone mentioned, I hear it in patterns as well - even though I seem to have lost some of this ability with age, which is quite sad. I still it quite often, though, especially when I get lost in the music without thinking about its parts.

Also, sometimes I tend to get certain colours out of certain emotions and texts, sometimes even people. For instance, reading Nietzsche's Also Sprach Zarathustra leaves me with a very yellow feeling, whilst there is one person I know, an ENFJ, whose emotions tend to turn into beautiful weaves of all colours imaginable when she talks about her feelings - and that is not to mention what her poetry does. Sometimes I even see people with partly fantastic characteristics, such as being at the same time eyeless and having eyes, or having the spirit of a lion(ess) which I can see in them at the same time as I see their real physical characteristics. And yes, I read a lot of fantasy when I was a younger :p.

There are other instances of such relations as well, and I can definitely relate this to an underdevelopment in sensual perception, as me and the outside world do not go together very well. Strangely enough, I am anything but a mystic when it comes to worldview, though.

As to the visualization thing, I do that constantly as well. I structure future events in my mind's eye and then carry them out; I often develop several structures to see which ones work and which ones do not.

[malefide]

I have synaesthesia. I see colors with certain letters, numbers, and words, and also sometimes with sounds and music. I also associate colors and tastes with different people: one person may be "purple + strawberry" while another "orange-red + smoky taste".

I also for some reason associate gender with letters and numbers, and I have done so since I was about three, apparently. I don't know if this is related. I wrote up a list of all the corresponding associations.

[Eleven]

If bringing up old threads is looked down upon here, I apologise: let me know and it won't happen again.

Involuntary, consistent visualisations of units of time (i.e. idiosyncratic spatial representations of the year, of days in the week, etc.) are a kind of synesthesia - specifically concept synesthesia. This is one of the most common forms of synesthesia (along with coloured graphemes), and many people who don't have any other forms have colours or spatial layout associated with time.

As for whether synesthesia is more common in people with Ni - I'm really not sure. Syn is thought by some, however, to be an extension of the brain's natural capacity to understand information metaphorically or symbolically (i.e. 'that's a loud shirt' or 'sharp-tasting cheese'). If people with N (Ni or Ne) have brains that are more inclined toward symbolism and metaphor, it's not impossible that there's a connection between intuition and synesthesia. But that's just speculation, of course.

For what it's worth, I'm a synesthete INTP.

[WaeV]

Well, certain smells bring back strong meanings sometimes. When I was younger I always used to wonder what colors the days of the week were and if the grades of school were arranged up, down, left, or rightways, and whether they took right-angle turns when one changed schools.

I don't know if those count.

[rara avis]

I also for some reason associate gender with letters and numbers, and I have done so since I was about three, apparently. I don't know if this is related. I wrote up a list of all the corresponding associations.

I used to associate very clear gender with numbers 1-10, up through early elementary school. It was involved in how I understood the numbers' interactions with each other. But I left it behind it over the years of drilling facts, and I don't think, for me, it qualified as synesthesia.

[Mozzes]

It would be interesting to see if there's a correlation though if anything perhaps it's an inverse correlation.

According to To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. some mode of synaesthesia presents in about 4.5% of the general population. Considering the population of this forum and the lack of responses to the thread it seems as if INTJs may be less likely to experience it or perhaps it's just not being reported for some reason.

[Indubitably]

I don't know if it is as common for INTJ as it is for INTPs, but I've met 2 people with synesthesia that were INTP, and one that I never got to take the test but strongly suspect was either ENTP or INTP. They didn't all have the same type of synesthesia though, one had this thing where numbers had a physical texture, another literally sees sound with colour.

At any rate, I've never met an INTJ with synesthesia in person, but I wouldn't be surprised if it had some sort of connection to a strong preference for N. Granted I doubt there would be any causal correlation, but one might be there none the less.

I do tend to "feel" numbers in my head, and sometimes when I'm working a math or physics problems, certain ratios seem to have a nicer texture to them than others (I keep wanting to spread or smooth out either the denominator or the numerator), but I really don't think its the same thing as the guy who had the number-texture thing going on, so I doubt you could say I am synesthetic.

[Frag]

But when I close my eyes while listening to music, I see vivid patterns and colors; Very clear impressions that visualize the music.
I get this, but its a more constant mental image, which I can look at regardless of what my eyes are doing.

I thought everyone got that though, does it count??

[jikin]

I occasionally experience it. Mine usually is attached to words. I can feel how big they are. Take for example: watermelon. I can feel a full sized, somewhat fuzzy watermelon sitting on the back of my tongue. There's no flavor, just the size, and, being that a full sized watermelon technically can't fit in my mouth, the feel is a bit sureal.

While I would like to say it is attached to N, my very strong S mother also has synesthia. Hers is stronger and is attached numbers. She always sees them as specific colors. It makes an odd sense for her since her 2 natural talents are math and art.

[Zombicide]

I don't know but subtle as the associations are, the number 4 always feels red to me (actually any word starting with A or F usually is red for me)

1 being white

2 is often green in my mind

3 being blue, as is seven

5 ranging from purple to white to grey

8 being orange or yellow

9 is dark brown or black

10 is black

The letter O is a grey, black grey or black

L is blue or purple

D is a very dark brown or black

Q is pink

H is a wood color which smells of hickery

Seeing some people tastes bad, seeing some girls smells good

I don't know if I have synesthesia though

[Antares]

I think I'm a bit heavy on the synesthesia. I see alphabets, music and numbers in colors. With symphony music, I can visualize a full orchestra; and the positions of the different string instruments etc (movements of wind instruments are harder to visualize unless it's the trombone and of course, this requires a certain degree of musical training). I've been known to translate songs into music video in my head. I think my favorite experience is still the orchestra; I simply love watching musicians play, even if it is in my head. I suspect this isn't purely synesthaesia, but hey, you associate things with whatever you're familiar with ;)

[Zilal]

The last definition I read of synesthesia as relating to the alphabet was that you had to actually see the letters on the page as being those colors to be synesthetic. That doesn't happen with me, so I guess technically I'm not synesthetic. But letters have always had the same colors to me; I can't think of the letter C, or words beginning with the letter C, without thinking of the color yellow. Or red for S, green for V, et cetera.

The book Blue Cats and Chartreuse Kittens is an interesting read about synesthesia.

[Eleven]

For people who are wondering: any consistent, involuntary association between otherwise unrelated sensory modalities (including concept, as in the case of time synesthesia for example) is synesthesia. Even if you only have some letters that are coloured, for example, while others aren't, it's still synesthesia. It's actually a pretty common condition.

Zilal - that's not so. Synesthesia comes in projected and associated forms; projected means you experience the response as realistically as your non-synesthetic senses, whereas associated synesthesia means you only experience the response in your 'mind's eye'. If C always makes you think of yellow and S green, then you're probably synesthetic.

I get this, but its a more constant mental image, which I can look at regardless of what my eyes are doing.

I thought everyone got that though, does it count??
So long as it's consistent (the same sounds always give you the same images) and involuntary (you never consciously decided for a particular sound to be green, for example, and the response happens automatically), then it's probably synesthesia, and not everyone does this.

[Vagrant]

INTJ's and INFJ's aren't the only ones who do it -- my ENFP friend and I have ongoing jokes about blue being smooth, left being one, and basically doing a mindfuck by switching the senses. I do it unconsciously by occasionally associating certain colors with certain numbers, and similar things.