Exploring Synaesthesia: The Unique Perceptions of Constantina Makridakis

This article is part of a series in which individuals share insights from their unique experiences. Constantina Makridakis, a 28-year-old jewellery designer from Greece, discovered her ability to taste voices and names as a child. For instance, her father’s name, Nicholas, tasted like caramel-coated chocolate, while her mother’s name, Maria, was reminiscent of pasta with prawns. She assumed this ability was common until her sister, Amelia, informed her about a documentary on synaesthesia. This led Makridakis to realize she experiences a form of synaesthesia, a phenomenon where one sensory experience triggers another. The experience of synaesthesia varies among individuals; for example, singer-songwriter Billie Eilish perceives the names of days as colors, while composer Franz Liszt is believed to have experienced musical notes as colors. Janina Neufeld, a researcher at the Centre of Neurodevelopmental Disorders at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, noted that while non-synesthetes may find Makridakis’s experiences surprising, many can relate to their own sensory associations. It is estimated that 2 to 4 percent of the population experiences some form of synaesthesia, though the actual number may be higher. Neufeld explained that some individuals may not realize they have it. She herself experiences spatial sequence synaesthesia, visualizing the year as a circle in her mind. The neurological mechanisms behind synaesthesia are not fully understood, but one theory suggests that synesthetes may undergo less synaptic pruning during childhood, allowing for more cross-sensory connections. Neufeld has studied Makridakis’s case and found evidence of increased brain activation in sensory regions of synesthetes. Makridakis described her synaesthesia as sometimes overstimulating, noting that if an actor’s voice tastes like orange juice while watching a film, it can be distracting. Additionally, she experiences cravings linked to her perceptions, such as the American accent tasting like Coca-Cola. She associates US President Donald Trump’s voice with melted cheddar cheese and British actor Daniel Radcliffe’s voice with chocolate milk. Despite occasional distractions, Makridakis is intrigued by her perceptions and believes further study of synaesthesia could enhance understanding of the human mind. She has considered the possibility of spiritual significance in her experiences, noting that she sometimes perceives a color shimmering around people. Makridakis emphasizes that everyone perceives the world differently, stating, "We should always remember that everyone’s mind is completely different." She believes synaesthesia illustrates the richness of sensory experiences and internal associations.