Colored-hearing synesthesia.

Abstract

According to the experimental study of synesthetic tendencies in a total of 104 subjects, the angry voice of the queen of the night from Mozart is pictured as the colors red and yellow. The voice of lament was pictured as yellow. The colors of 'angelic tones' were perceived as cool colors. Though differences between male and female were not clear, synesthesia toward musical phrases were slightly different between seventeen-year-old boys and adults. It is important to choose proper colors to mediate synesthetic tendencies in hospital settings. Angry voices tended to engender warm colors. 'Angelic tones' were cold colors. Patients in ICU may have two attitudes. One is a panic stage which needs calm surroundings, and the other is a fighting stage trying to escape from their serious condition in ICU settings. Common synesthetic tendencies can be used for choosing the color of ICU settings. Hospices have a different attitude to patient care. Colors should be carefully chosen accordingly.