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Mirror-sensory synaesthesia: exploring 'shared' sensory experiences as synaesthesia
Bernadette M Fitzgibbon1, Peter G Enticott, Anina N Rich
1Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, School of Psychology and Psychiatry, Monash University and the Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia. bernadette.fitzgibbon@gmail.com
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews
|October 12, 2011
Summary
Observing or imagining others' sensations, like touch or pain, can create similar feelings in oneself. This phenomenon, termed mirror-sensory synaesthesia, bridges social cognition and sensory perception.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Social Neuroscience
Background:
- Individuals can experience somatosensory sensations (e.g., touch, pain) upon observing or imagining them in others.
- This phenomenon is debated, with some classifying it as synaesthesia and others as an extreme form of normal perception.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose that these experiences are not mutually exclusive and can be understood within a unified framework.
- To introduce and define 'mirror-sensory synaesthesia' as a distinct type of synaesthesia with a social component.
- To provide a framework for exploring the neurobiological underpinnings of these experiences using existing synaesthesia models.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual analysis and theoretical argumentation.
- Operationalization of mirror-sensory experiences as a form of synaesthesia.
- Application of existing neurobiological models of synaesthesia to social cognitive processes.
Main Results:
- The observation or imagination of somatosensory stimulation in others can induce similar experiences in oneself.
- This phenomenon can be conceptualized as an extreme form of normal social-cognitive processing.
- When this processing leads to a conscious experience mirroring the observed state, it qualifies as mirror-sensory synaesthesia.
Conclusions:
- Mirror-sensory synaesthesia integrates aspects of social cognition and sensory experience.
- Defining this experience as synaesthesia allows for the application of established neurobiological frameworks.
- Further research can explore the neural mechanisms linking social perception to conscious sensory experiences.
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