Symbol-color association?

[Zirngibism]

Does anyone associate certain colors with numbers and letters? How about mathematical relationships, words, and concepts?

I certainly do, as well as other qualities. Some numbers are more fuzzy and vague in shape, and they are top-heavy and bottom-heavy. Certain mathemathical functions (like taking the integral of something) can tint my value or change its shape. Certain numbers or patterns of them can "dominate" a sequence, which has an overall color, and motion of interchanging colors that varies in speed.

Math has always been fun to me, and maybe partially because it's so colorful.

Oh yeah, and every word has a color/shape to me too.

I've had people call me crazy, and say I must be partly autistic because of this :nohope: (though jokingly, I think...)

I approached several people about this, and most of them (including my art and calc teachers) denied any kind of color-number association, as well as parents and peers. The only person who agrees with me on the numbers (but differs on some of the color associations) is my brother, who doesn't really consider himself artistic. Oh, and I was able to find a friend (who's a professional artist) who I believe makes number-color associations.

So, my questionw to you all are... does being artistic mean you have a greater chance of associating certain visual properties with numbers/letters/words/concepts? Or does everyone do it subconciously but never actually thinks of it? Does it make life more interesting for you?

And if you don't associate a color with a number, what do you visualize when you hear/see a number? Do you just imagine a white background with the number in black? Do you imagine a pile of dots of that number? What about words?

And if anyone here also makes such associations, let's compare them and argue them into the ground :D.

[thebluepuppy]

I always wanted to try acid, sounds fun man. just be careful, and dont get caught!

[Elwell]

You have synesthesia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synesthesia). It's not a form of autism, although some people have both (see the book Born on a Blue Day (http://www.amazon.com/Born-Blue-Day-Extraordinary-Autistic/dp/1416535071)). I don't think it's any more common among artists than the rest of the population (which is not very). The only famous synesthetic artist I know of off hand is Kandinsky. It's probably more useful among mathematicians and scientists, because it allows extra levels of association for manipulating abstract concepts.

[Lohan]

It's probably more useful among mathematicians and scientists, because it allows extra levels of association for manipulating abstract concepts.

I've also read that. It may have been posted here but there was some kid who saw a landscape for each number and he could do some amazing computations/memorizations. He was autistic I believe?

Personally, when I hear sound I draw in my mind corresponding lines relating to pitch and frequency, and they end up forming shapes depending on how much I hear. I'm not sure if that's related, but it used to really bug me when I was a kid but I'm used to it now.

[Zirngibism]

You have synesthesia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synesthesia). It's not a form of autism, although some people have both (see the book Born on a Blue Day (http://www.amazon.com/Born-Blue-Day-Extraordinary-Autistic/dp/1416535071)). I don't think it's any more common among artists than the rest of the population (which is not very). The only famous synesthetic artist I know of off hand is Kandinsky. It's probably more useful among mathematicians and scientists, because it allows extra levels of association for manipulating abstract concepts.

*jigsaw puzzle snaps*

Woah, thanks Elwell! Skimming through that article, I think you really hit the nail on the head- your diganosis being the nail and my head being, uh, the head. :wink: I think I'll read the whole thing.

I think someday I'm going to attempt to make little depictions of some of my associations.

I was reading that it's known to be genetic which could explain my brother.

As for abstract concepts, wow, it all seems to fit. I really love reading about abstract concepts in like anything physics, some math stuff, as well as philosophical things.

[Xazy]

I read an article about synesthesia that said something to the effect of there being potentially thousands of people who have it, but don't realize it, just because they assume everyone else can "do what they do".

Fun stuff.

[Jabo]

Yeah, got it as well. I've always associated numbers with certain colors, as well as having a pretty clear view of the monthly/weekly calendar in mind (three-dimensional, pretty creepy). Certain numbers are more clearly colored than others:

1 has no particular color
2 is blueish or white
3 is yellow
4 and 7 are both green, 4 can be cyanish tho, 7 can be brownish
6 is black or blue
8 is colorless
9 is brown or purple
0 is colorless too

I don't think it's a thing to creative people, I don't know anyone beside me who's interpreting colors with numbers tho.

Funny thing is that I'm suffering of Dyscalculia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyscalculia), meaning that I'm unable to calculate even the smallest numbers and have problems with logical mathematical terms. That caused me some really aweful problems back in school, I actually quit because of it. As a child, I wasn't able to add or subtract because I complicated numbers by giving them a beginning and an end, instead of just recognizing them as points on a line (hard to explain). So when I had to add 3 to 4, I didn't know if it was 7 or 8 because there was always a kind of threshold. I still can't calculate without a calculator at hand, for instance when I want to find out the amount of fuel my car uses on a 100km distance or how many hours I've worked the day (the clock is another thing though).

So for me, it's a colorful, disturbing minefield. I hate it. Numbers suck.

[Jason Rainville]

Though not nearly as specific and vivid as what you've described, certain numbers defenitely have a 'feel' to them.

7 and 9 are stylish, alloof and attractive, 5 in a lesser sense. 4 is warm and motherly, 3 is somewhat childlike and innocent. the others are a bit too vague to explain.

The numbers in a greater sense have a defenite 'path' that they go on as they increase in value. very vague again, and I wish I could illustrate it... it's mostly left to right. From 1-10 it's light, and it feels as if I'm close to them. Same with 11-20, but the background darkens and they move upward more. from 21-100 it's more or less a straight diagonal line, viewed from far away. from 100 to 1000, it moved upward and away (gets 3d at this point) from 1000-infinity it moves right to left, with less of a path, only moving when decimal points move.

[Jabo]

Wait... You say it's turning right-to-left? LOL, now that must be confusing.

But again, you have to agree that it's all subjective. You say 7 and 9 are stylish, they're my hate-numbers, as is 5 (in a lesser sense, lol). 4 isn't warm for me, but I agree that 3 is childlike. Really funny.

[Jason Rainville]

Wait... You say it's turning right-to-left? LOL, now that must be confusing.

lol yeah, but the way I'm seeing it is this way ->
from 1-100=left to right along a path, 100-1000 it goes up and over (like a rollercoaster hitting the zenith of the hill) then...

12,234,567,890,120,345,234,346,345,765,453,234
<- as the number increases, the new number reamains still (no more path), but expands to the left as the decimal places increase. For some reason it just starts after the thousands though, must be in the way I learned.

And yeah I know it's all subjective, it could be that the shape of 7 or 9 when learned reminded me of a person or situation that I linked them to. Same thing for the differentiation between 1-20, then 1-100 etc... for the longest time in kindergarten I thought 20 was the highest number possible, probably where the 'closeness' to those earlier numbers come from. The mind is a wonderful thing :)

[wisdom_of_trees]

This thread is pretty interesting. I myself have Synesthesia when it comes to numbers as well.
0 and 1 have no color
2 is red, velvety and a valentine
3 is orange
4 is yellow and white, it's a daisy
5 is blue
6 is periwinkle
7 is a green pine tree
8 is lime green
9 is purple

[Jabo]

Another note: Actually, I used to think that this association of numbers and colors is a common thing and that everyone has it. This was until I spoke to my mother about it and she was kinda baffled about it. How bout you?

[Elwell]

wisdom_of_trees,
I notice that the colors you associate with numbers pretty much follow spectral order (with a reversal of blue and green), while Jabo's are essentially random. How are your math skills? Jabo has said that he's discalcic, while Data_Strings synesthesia extends not only to numbers themselves but to functions and operations, so there seems to be some sort of connection between the "logicality" of the synesthetic phenomenon and whether it is associated with an increase or decrease in mathematical ability.

[Jazz]

I have synesthesia, too! I associate colours mainly with musical notes and chords. I also associate them with one-digit numbers, though the colours are illuminated:

1 = red
2 = orange
3 = yellow
4 = chartreuse (sp)
5 = green
6 = cool blue
(I don't know if 7-9 have colours)
0 = clear

I don't like any one-digit number above five, especially 6. So I haven't enjoyed being 26 very much. Makes me feel kind of...that colour. :P

[wisdom_of_trees]

wisdom_of_trees,
I notice that the colors you associate with numbers pretty much follow spectral order (with a reversal of blue and green), while Jabo's are essentially random. How are your math skills? Jabo has said that he's discalcic, while Data_Strings synesthesia extends not only to numbers themselves but to functions and operations, so there seems to be some sort of connection between the "logicality" of the synesthetic phenomenon and whether it is associated with an increase or decrease in mathematical ability.

My math skills are by far my weakest academically. My report cards in High School were usually a succession of A's and B's with the usual D in the Math slot. The only A I've ever gotten was in Geometry. My scientist boyfriend recently gave me a series of tests; one of which was a picture of a field of 5's with 2's in the middle of the field (the font looked like mirror versions of eachother) he asked me what I saw, I said I saw a red circle in the middle of a blue field. My response was pretty immediate, which I thought was kind of frighting.

I'm terrible a basic math too, like it's a miracle if I can count change back or add a succession of numbers in my head. However; I've always been pretty kick ass at spelling, and memorization. Logical, abstract thought just isn't my thing.