A man with a rare pathology chose partners by the smell of names (3 photos)

James Wannerton, who has been able to taste words since childhood, was told by doctors that he simply had an overactive imagination. The man is now the president of the UK Synesthesia Association.





65-year-old James Wannerton from Manchester, England, suffers from a neurological condition called synesthesia, which stimulates several senses at once and can lead to people “hearing” shapes and feeling sounds.

The man can taste when he hears sounds or reads words. James was only five years old when he first noticed the condition while riding the London Underground. He recalled tasting rhubarb when he heard trains rushing past, and shared his life experience.

From then on, the phenomenon became a constant part of his life - he tasted every sound and word he encountered. Including the names of his family members: his mother's name caused a brain freeze sensation, his father's name tasted like processed peas, and his sister's name tasted like blackcurrant yogurt.



As a teenager, the boy was initially told that he had an overactive imagination and was making up the condition. But soon he found other people suffering from the condition. At the time, he said it had a profound effect on his friendships and relationships, playing a key role in who he chose to date.

"When I first started dating girls in my teens, the taste of their name and voice played a big part in their overall attraction. It was as important to me as their personality and appearance. My first girlfriend tasted like freshly baked bread," the Briton recalled.



James says that if someone's name tastes terrible, he doesn't like being around them. He eventually met another person with the condition in his 30s. The Briton also said that the condition once led him into a terrifying situation - he crashed his motorcycle when he was distracted by an irresistible taste.

"It nearly killed me. I was riding my motorcycle and a car hit me with a strange sound. It didn't taste like food, it tasted like a drink, like I'd taken a sip from a jar of olive oil. It was very distracting. I went off the road and ended up in a ditch," he said.

James says the condition has its benefits, including the ability to remember things well through visual memory, but it continues to have a significant impact on his life. He is now the president of the UK Synesthesia Association.