Filed under: Creativity, psychology | Tags: Creativity, psychology, synesthesia, Thinking
Letter and Number Colors
As far back as I can remember I have always correlated, without conscious thought, numbers, letters and colors with each other. For instance, when I think of the letter A I immediately, uncontrollably think of the color RED. I have never really thought much about this as I always assumed that everybody thought the same way. As I got older and shared my mental process with others, I began to realize that not many people automatically made connections in their head as I do. After doing a little bit of research (I love the internet) I have found out that this phenomenon is referred to as synesthesia.
Here is a short list of letter/color combinations (although they can occasionally switch around on me if I think about it too much).
A = Red
B = Blue
C = Green (or sometimes blue)
D = Blue
E = Purple
F = Green
G = Orange
H = Brown
I = White (or sometimes silver)
J = Gold
1 = Red
2 = Blue
3 = Green
4 = Green
5 = Blue
6 = Red
7 = Orange
8 = Blue
9 = Purple
I also link letters and numbers together. The strange thing is that the letter/number combos do not have to have similar colors. For example:
H = 4
but H = Brown and 4 = Green
This can cause a little paradox in my head (again I restate that all of these thoughts occur without active thinking). To resolve this conflict I mix Brown and Green together like paint in my head and make a muddy, dark green that, for some reason, turns to a gray. Individually H is still Brown and 4 is still Green, but more often than not, when H = 4, color = Gray.
Another example:
F = 5
But F = Green and 5 = Blue
In this situation the green and blue do not mix to create a teal color when F = 5. Instead either Blue or Green will dominate; when F = 5, color = Green or Blue.
Strange, huh?
