I can taste through my fingers sometimes, especially metals and some lotions. My science teacher in college said that one in fifty people have that. I was pondering how, because we don't have taste buds in our fingers, and I taste it in my mouth. I have some ideas about this, but I want to get some feedback first.

asked 04 Mar '11, 23:58

Fairy%20Princess's gravatar image

Fairy Princess
(suspended)

1

butterflies taste with their feet, I love to raise butterflies and when a butterfly lands on your skin especially the ends of your fingers it's a very pleasant experience like a direct line of communication, by the way butterflies love to drink your sweat, it contains nourishing minerals

http://biointerestingfacts.blogspot.fr/2007/01/butterflies-taste-with-their-feet.html

(19 Jun '14, 00:50) jaz
1

perhaps all our senses are
in a way connected, at the cellular level
and at times overlap

(31 Jan '22, 19:46) fred
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All your physical senses interpret vibration - it's just that some of the senses are more suited to certain vibrational ranges than others.

But the senses all ultimately input into your brain for decoding (which is a transmitter/receiver for the Mind) so there is no reason why you could not, given some specific intent, focus on interpreting that vibration directly without the need for the physical sense at all (i.e. intuition) or even, as regards your question, using (or giving credit to) an alternate physical sense.

By way of example, spend a few moments now thinking of biting into a fresh, juicy, bitter lemon. Imagine the deep sourness of the taste as the succulent juice oozes around your mouth...


...you should very quickly start to feel your taste buds responding despite there being no lemons in your vicinity.

In this case, the picture you are conjuring up in your imagination is generating a vibration that your taste buds are responding to. You could legitimately claim you are a tasting an (imaginary) visual picture :)

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answered 05 Mar '11, 00:23

Stingray's gravatar image

Stingray
93.7k22143372

This is not different than what I came up with myself.

(05 Mar '11, 00:29) Fairy Princess

I used to tickle my son without even touching him.

(09 Aug '11, 03:43) Fairy Princess

My fingernails are extremely sensitive, and yes, I can taste things through my fingers. It all has to do with the wiring of the brain. Each sense has neurons connected to the sensors, and somehow, the sense of taste, which is a very old sense, has a few wires that go down the fingers. I absolutely hate lotion on my hands, for the taste gets in my mouth-ick! It is just a mis-wiring of the brain, and is a recessive trait. I also have other oddities such as perfect pitch and perfect pitch memory, where I can recall in complete fullness a piece of music as did Mozart- but I lack the gene that allowed him to then write down what he heard. I cannot do that. I have also freckles, a gene for red hair, migraines, fair skin- all these are found on just one gene. I guess in some ways, all of us are unique! Fold your hands. Which thumb is on top? Whether you have the right or left thumb on top is inherited, and another odd trait. Human DNA mapping is discovering all sorts of great stuff. I remember when they discovered, through studies of separated twins, that the tendency to wear a lot of rings is actually inherited! Imagine that! (I have that gene, too!) We even inherit a liking for certain names and faces. It goes on and on. Just enjoy it, and use it as an icebreaker at parties.

LOL and blessings, Jai

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answered 05 Mar '11, 03:07

Jaianniah's gravatar image

Jaianniah
37.8k13129610

I think you have a very good understanding of it.

(05 Mar '11, 06:43) Vesuvius

Thank you, Vesuvius! Jai

(05 Mar '11, 08:26) Jaianniah

Informative Jai - Thanks :)

(05 Mar '11, 13:02) Michaela
showing 2 of 3 show 1 more comments

This is almost certainly a form of synesthesia, a neurologically-based condition in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway.

Synesthesia basically means crossing one sense with another. As Jaianniah correctly points out, it has to do with the way your brain is wired.

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answered 05 Mar '11, 06:45

Vesuvius's gravatar image

Vesuvius
32.7k1165201

Glad to see you're still here :)

(05 Mar '11, 13:03) Michaela

Yes, truly missed your input Vesuvius!

(05 Mar '11, 15:20) daniele

I have been tasting some substances I touch all my life, especially from hand lotions and metallic lubricants like motor oil. I found this thread when searching to find information on the taste I get when touching laundry detergent pods, it is the same taste regardless of which brand.

I thought it was because there is some type of solvent like DMSO that delivers the taste, and I'm a "supertaster" so sensitve to it. I didn't know about synesthesia until I saw a 60 minutes segment on it last year and that makes sense it could be a form of that as noted in prior posts.

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answered 27 Dec '21, 13:33

jwcmth's gravatar image

jwcmth
312

Very strange, no? It's something I am only experiencing recently for the first time. Strangest thing is it's accurate - the sensation I get in my mouth when I have a substance on my hands is exactly the sensation I'd have if it were literally in my mouth!

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answered 09 Aug '11, 03:12

Ellen's gravatar image

Ellen
111

Yes, very strange.

(09 Aug '11, 03:36) Fairy Princess

One of my thoughts is that the sensory information gets mixed up in my brain and gets interpreted as taste. Like when I am talking to somebody and happen to hear another person say something and I say what I hear instead of what I think and want to say.

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answered 09 Aug '11, 03:42

Fairy%20Princess's gravatar image

Fairy Princess
(suspended)

There is an article of a woman capable of "seeing" colors through her fingers...search in google "seeing color with the fingers by Albert Rosenfeld"

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answered 09 Aug '11, 06:19

blubird%20two's gravatar image

blubird two
(suspended)

I have the same condition and believe it or not, it has actually saved my life. I have touched poisonous substances without realizing it and soon tasted it in my mouth. I hate hand lotions as well because I can taste them soon after applying. I wash my hands A LOT! LOL!

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answered 10 Oct '11, 13:30

Michelle%201's gravatar image

Michelle 1
111

I have this ability as well. I have also done some research on this ability. One way to make sure you are actually tasting things with your hands, versus just re-experiencing the taste of something you are holding in your hands, is to have someone you trust blindfold you and rub different liquids into your hands and see if you can still taste them. If you cannot still taste them then this becomes an entirely different, and much more mundane, phenomenon. That having been said, there is hope for those with this gift. With enough focus, and the right mental discipline, you can actually turn this ability off. Unfortunately, I have only achieved partial success in this, so I do not know if it is possible to have complete control.

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answered 17 Jun '14, 10:02

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Mr Knows-a-lot
212

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