Welcome to the Synaesthesia Research Group website.

The Synaesthesia Research Group is based at the University of Waterloo for the purpose of studying all aspects of a condition known as synaesthesia.

The Synaesthesia Research Group was recently featured on Global News. Watch online in Windows Media format (2.5MB).

What is synaesthesia?

Synaesthesia is a condition in which ordinary stimuli lead to extraordinary experiences. There are many types of synaesthesia. Some synaesthetes have conscious experiences of vivid colors when listening to music or hearing other types of sounds. Other synaesthetes experience strong tactile sensations (itching, tingling) when hearing noises such as those emitted by a vacuum cleaner. The most common type of synaesthesia is letter/digit color synaesthesia. For people who experience this type of synaesthesia, seeing, hearing, or even thinking about a letter or digit can elicit a visual experience of a highly specific color. It is estimated that 1 person out of every 2000 people experiences some form of synaesthesia.

If you have synaesthesia, we would appreciate your participation in our ongoing research projects.