Recent scientific studies have revealed that humans do not rely solely on five senses as ancient philosophers believed, but possess a complex and intertwined sensory system that may include dozens of senses.
Although we often focus on the senses of hearing and sight, the rest of the senses do not stop functioning. By increasing attention, we can feel the roughness and smoothness of surfaces, notice shoulder tension, and recognize the softness of bread. In the daily details of the morning, we hear and touch the flow of water and smell the scent of shampoo, before later enjoying the aroma of fresh coffee.
Aristotle noted the existence of only five senses, as he said that the world consists of five elements, ideas no longer align with contemporary scientific understanding. Recent studies indicate that the number of senses in humans may range between 22 and 33, according to neuroscientists.
These studies clarify that most of our experiences are not unisensory, but multisensory; we do not see, hear, or touch separately, but these sensations are integrated into a single experience. Sensation affects vision, and vision affects hearing, even smells can alter our perception of texture, as in the case of rose-scented shampoo that makes hair appear smoother and shinier.
This sensory overlap extends to food, where the aromas in low-fat yogurt can give it a richness without adding new ingredients, and the perception of flavor is affected by the viscosity of liquids. Researchers confirm that what we call "taste" is actually a combination of touch, smell, and taste together.
Professor Charles Spence, from the Multisensory Lab at Oxford University, explains that among these multiple senses is the sense of proprioception, which enables a person to know the location of their limbs without looking at them, in addition to the sense of balance associated with the vestibular system in the ear, and the interoceptive sense that helps us perceive physical changes such as hunger and increased heart rate.
This system also includes the sense of controlling limb movement and the sense of body ownership, which may become disrupted in some stroke patients, who sometimes believe their limbs do not belong to them or that someone else is controlling them.
Researchers affirm that fruit flavors, such as strawberry or blueberry, cannot be explained by simple equations, as there are no specific receptors for these flavors on the tongue. Instead, these flavors are perceived through the cooperation of the tongue and nose, where aromatic compounds travel from the mouth to the nose during chewing through the nasopharynx.
Vision is also affected by the sense of balance. For instance, when taking off in an airplane, it may appear to the passenger that the front of the cabin is higher than them, although the visual scene has not changed, as a result of the interaction between vision and balance signals in the ear.
In the context of studying these phenomena, philosophers, neuroscientists, and psychologists collaborate at the Center for the Study of the Senses at the University of London. In 2013, the center launched the "Rethinking the Senses" project, which revealed the impact of sounds on a person's sense of weight and the role of acoustic cues in museums in enhancing visual memory.
Research has also shown that airplane noise weakens the perception of sweet, salty, and sour tastes, while enhancing the "umami" (savory) flavor, explaining the popularity of tomato juice on airplanes.
Research concludes that the world around us is filled with subtle sensory signals that we overlook. By pausing a bit and paying attention, we can perceive how our senses work together harmoniously to shape our daily experience with all its details.
