Exploring Our Senses Beyond the Basics

In our screen-dominated lives, we often overlook the ways our senses engage with the world around us. Yet, they continuously contribute to our experiences. When we pay attention, we notice the texture of objects, the tension in our shoulders, and even the fluffiness of bread.

Consider your morning routine: you might feel the refreshing chill of toothpaste, hear the cascade of water in the shower, or inhale the scent of your shampoo followed by the rich smell of coffee brewing.

Aristotle famously categorized our senses into five distinct types. But, interestingly, he also claimed the world was made of five elements, a notion we’ve moved on from. Nowadays, research suggests we could have as many as 33 senses.

Our experiences are fundamentally multisensory. We don’t just see, hear, or smell in isolation; rather, these senses interplay to create a cohesive understanding of our surroundings. For instance, what we feel can influence our perception of what we see, and vice versa. The scent in your shampoo, for example, may alter how you perceive the softness of your hair—roses might make it feel silkier.

Similarly, the aroma of low-fat yogurt can enhance its perceived richness, even without altering its ingredients. The sensation of flavors is also tied to how we perceive their textures, influenced by the thickness of what we consume.

According to Professor Charles Spence from Oxford’s Crossmodal Laboratory, there’s a strong belief among neuroscientists that we have between 22 and 33 senses. One of those is proprioception, allowing us to know where our body parts are without needing to look. Our balance relies on a combination of that sense, our vestibular system in our ears, and our sight.

Then there’s interoception, which helps us recognize internal changes in our bodies, whether that be a quickened heartbeat or a sense of hunger. We also experience a sense of agency when moving our limbs—something that can be disrupted in stroke patients, who might feel as if someone else is controlling their movements.

Another intriguing aspect is the sense of ownership. Stroke survivors might feel disconnected from their limbs, even while still sensing them.

Touch is another complex sense, combining pain, temperature, itchiness, and various tactile sensations. When we taste something, we engage a mix of three senses: touch, smell, and taste, or gustation, which together influence the flavors we detect in food and drink.

Gustation identifies flavors via tongue receptors that distinguish sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami. But what about flavors like raspberry or mango? We don’t have specific receptors for these; they don’t result from simple combinations of the primary tastes. Instead, we perceive these flavors thanks to the collaboration between our taste buds and olfactory senses. In fact, the act of tasting is primarily driven by our sense of smell.

It’s not just about inhaling ambient odors; compounds from our food are released while we chew, traveling to our noses. Touch also plays a significant role, we associate tastes and smells, shaping our preferences for various textures in food.

Your sight can even be influenced by your vestibular system. For example, when you’re on a plane and look down the cabin while taking off, the front of the cabin might seem higher than before, despite everything being at the same level. That perception is a result of your ears communicating to your brain about your tilt.

The investigation of our senses opens up a wealth of research opportunities, with philosophers, neuroscientists, and psychologists collaborating at the Centre for the Study of the Senses in London.

Back in 2013, this center initiated a project titled “Rethinking the Senses,” led by the late Professor Sir Colin Blakemore. Through this research, we uncovered how altering the sound of our footsteps can trick our minds into feeling lighter or heavier.

We found that in the Tate Britain art museum, audioguides that personalized the listening experience enhanced visitors’ retention of visual details from paintings. Interestingly, we also explored how aircraft noise could impact our taste perception, suggesting that for certain flavors like tomato juice—rich in umami—the noise might actually enhance the experience.

At our recent exhibition, “Senses Unwrapped” in King’s Cross, London, attendees can explore the intriguing intricacies of how their senses function. One exhibit demonstrates the size-weight illusion with curling stones of varying sizes, where the smallest feels heaviest, but they balance equally.

These activities remind us how elaborate our sensory experiences are. So, next time you step outside or indulge in a meal, take a moment to appreciate the symphony of your senses working in harmony.