Women of this "color" are undoubtedly the most beautiful

Compared to most people, people with synesthesia experience the world in a decidedly different way. Sex is an unknown area in synaesthesia, which includes hearing, touch, vision, taste, etc. Of course, sex involves all the senses. So, what color is it visually when you are sexually aroused?

orange? blue? Can orgasm also have color?

Before the research results came out, there were not many related articles on the market and what we knew was quite vague. For example, early studies suggest that orgasm can cause more than 2 percent of synaesthetes to see color. "Kissing and sexual intercourse are prime triggers, eliciting colored light illusions, tangible and textured touch sensations, and taste sensations," Richard Sitowick writes in his book, The Sensory Alliance. Similarly, touching and caressing (both tactile sensations) can trigger a sense of color, taste, smell, sound, and even temperature. But what are the details of this process? For those of you who can synesthetize, what does a male erection smell like? What color is an orgasm?

Due to the lack of research on the sexual experience of synesthetes, Markus Döhler of the Hannover Medical School in Germany led a group of researchers to start the work. They explored whether various perceptions have an impact on sexual experience and how synaesthetes' obsession with sex differs from that of normal people. In a recent article published in Frontiers in Psychology, Deller writes:

Among the survey subjects, 19 were erotic synesthetes (17 women and 2 men) and 36 were ordinary people (a total of 55 people). We used two questionnaires to assess sexual function and dysfunction (Sexual Functioning Index-Brief) in relation to sexual occurrence and obsession (Altered States of Consciousness Questionnaire). In addition, we conducted in-depth interviews with synaesthetes to further uncover the characteristics of their sexual experiences.

The full results of the study are shown below. People with erotic synesthesia “appear to have a greater experience of sexual ecstasy, but this does not increase intercourse satisfaction.” That’s all fine and dandy, but in the “Representative Quotes” section, there’s a mention of how these synesthetes felt at different stages of sexual response (based on in-depth interviews by Deller and his colleagues). If I were to describe it in one sentence, it would be "so cool":

What color is an orgasm?

0. Initial stage: sexual fantasies, sexual impulses; "This stage has the characteristics of orange"

1. Excitement: Sexual impulses increase, and various physical reactions occur (such as faster breathing, increased blood pressure, sexual flushing); "…it becomes stronger,…the color becomes darker and darker compared to the beginning"

2. Plateau: Physical reactions intensify; “The more intense the excitement, the more tempting the idea becomes” “The fog you initially saw turns into a wall”

3. Climax: extension of the plateau phase, blood vessels congestion, muscle contraction; "During the climax, it feels like the wall in front of my eyes has collapsed... in a ring shape... blue... accompanied by a violent sound"

4. Extinction: The process of fading excitement; "the color in front of your eyes is between pink and yellow"

Recently, a small number of researchers have suggested that most people experience synaesthesia to varying degrees. However, most people believe that only a small number of people can experience synaesthesia strongly. This is consistent with our assumptions. After all, how often do people engage in post-sex pillow talk like this:

"How is it, dear? Are you comfortable?"

"Yeah, it felt like the wall was collapsing, and everything in front of me was purple. How about you?"

"Me too. Wow, you're all yellow!"