For several years, the American artist has confessed to being a synesthete, which he talks about again in the film Piece By Piece. In this case, his brain makes an association of different sensations which are not linked to each other.
- Pharrell Williams suffers from synesthesia, which allows him to see music as colors.
- This phenomenon affects between 1 in 20 and 1 in 2,000 people worldwide.
- It can occur occasionally, for example when taking drugs or following a brain injury, or unrelated to a pathology or taking a substance.
On November 20, the Lego feature film Piece By Piecewhich traces the career of Pharrell Williams, will be broadcast in French cinemas. In this documentary, we dive into the sensory universe of the singer-songwriter and music producer. And not just any one, because from the start of the film, he mentions the fact that he suffers from synesthesia. “When I was little, I knew I was different. I loved music, it hypnotized me. I saw myriads of colors passing by!”
Synesthesia: when sensory perceptions are linked in unusual ways
From the Greek “syn”, which translates as “union”, and “aesthesis”, meaning “sensation”, synesthesia is a particular neurological condition. “Some people, called synesthetes, experience additional arbitrary, idiosyncratic and automatic associations: for example, of colors to sounds, or a specific color for each number or letter of the alphabet.” can we read in a study carried out by a French researcher and published in 2012.
According to Marina Carrère d’Encaussedoctor and sponsor of the Foundation for Medical Research (FRM), and Fabien Hauw, neurologist and researcher at the Brain Institute, this phenomenon, which affects between 1 in 20 and 1 in 2,000 people in the world, can occur from occasionally, when taking drugs or following a brain injury. However, it can also exist without a link to a pathology or the use of a substance. “As this often affects several members of the same family, this suggests the involvement of genetic factors.”
What are the neural mechanisms responsible for synesthesia?
Currently, the mechanisms underlying this neurological condition are not yet clearly identified. But, according to some experts, it is linked to a lack of inhibition of the multisensory network present in all people. “Certain areas of the brain responsible for processing complex data wrongly send information to areas processing much simpler cues, such as color or sound, and therefore give rise to additional sensations”indicated Marina Carrère d’Encausse and Fabien Hauw.
For other professionals, it would be more of a cross-activation. In synesthetes, there are important connections between the different sensory areas which allow them to activate each other. “It is actually likely that these two mechanisms are involved to different degrees depending on the type of synesthesia.”
Synesthesia can be restrictive on a daily basis
Although, for Pharrell Williams, synesthesia is a creative asset, this is not the case for all patients. Indeed, they live in a sensory perception made of various colors, but the particularity of their brain does not stop there. In everyday life, particularly professionally, synesthetes may tend to visualize 3D constructions which represent music or even emotions. “Those around them may therefore have difficulty understanding this representation of reality,” explained Dr Claire Lewandowski on our website Why Doctor.
