Touch-Colour (or Tactile-colour) synesthesia is a type of synesthesia in which individuals experience a sensation of colour in response to tactile or haptic stimulation.
The phenomenon is typically experienced through the fingertips, but can also occur in response to other types of touch, such as pressure or temperature, pain or orgasm.
Tactile colour synesthesia is relatively rare, with estimates suggesting that it occurs in less than 1% of the population.
The experience of tactile colour synesthesia varies from person to person, but typically involves the consistent perception of specific colours in response to specific types of touch.
An individual with tactile colour synesthesia might perceive the sensation of roughness as being associated with the colour red, while the sensation of smoothness might be associated with the colour blue.
While the precise mechanisms underlying tactile colour synesthesia are not yet fully understood, research has suggested that the phenomenon may be related to the way in which the brain processes sensory information. Specifically, some researchers have suggested that the experience of synesthesia may arise from increased connectivity between sensory areas of the brain that are not normally connected. This increased connectivity may allow information from one sensory modality to influence the processing of information in another modality, leading to the perception of synesthetic experiences such as tactile colour.
Research on tactile colour synesthesia has suggested that individuals with this condition show a number of interesting differences compared to non-synesthetes.
Despite these differences, research has also suggested that there are some similarities between the associations made by individuals with tactile colour synesthesia and those made by non-synesthetes.
Research on tactile colour synesthesia has also examined the extent to which synesthetic experiences can be influenced by cognitive factors such as attention and expectation. Some studies have suggested that individuals with synesthesia may be more susceptible to cognitive factors such as attention and expectation than non-synesthetes, which could influence the specific associations made between tactile sensations and colours.
Overall, while much is still unknown about the precise mechanisms underlying tactile colour synesthesia, research on this phenomenon has shed light on the ways in which the brain processes sensory information and the role that neural connectivity may play in the perception of synesthetic experiences. By further studying tactile colour synesthesia, researchers may be able to gain a deeper understanding of the workings of the brain and the role that sensory processing plays in shaping our perception of the world around us.