One man’s sex life is the definition of colorful.
The married 31-year-old man, known only as “Mr. R.”, went to the doctor complaining that every time he had an orgasm, he suddenly saw the world in pink tones.
He added that objects also looked sharper and brighter, and that it always looked like it was early morning, even if he finished late at night.
Doctors in Iran conducted a series of tests before diagnosing the man with synesthesia, a rare condition in which the senses cross.
The married 31-year-old – known only as ‘Mr R’ – told doctors that every time he has an orgasm he suddenly sees the world in shades of pink (stock image)
In other cases it can cause a person to ‘taste colors’ or ‘feel sounds’.
The bizarre case is revealed in the magazine Psychiatrythe doctors wrote: ‘He stated that during his orgasms he experienced changes in his visual acuity when he had his eyes open, and that he saw objects more sharply and clearly than normal.
‘He described these changes as “a highly contrasting vision with a dominant pink colour throughout” and said the area became brighter, as if it were early morning, even though it was dark.’
The patient, who was also a physician, initially tried to treat his condition with the antidepressant Sertraline.
But after three months, he sought help at a nearby hospital, where doctors suggested he had the rare neurological condition.
At this point the patient also indicated that as a child he had suffered from altered perceptions due to chest pain caused by a defective heart valve.
He said he felt “white” during these attacks of pain—a sensation he said was never evoked by other feelings. However, this stopped before adulthood, after the heart valve problem was resolved.
The patient was discharged and was not offered any further treatment. The person reported that he no longer suffered from erectile dysfunction and was satisfied with his sex life.
Synesthesia occurs when nerves stimulated by one activity accidentally activate other, unrelated nerves, resulting in a “confusing” sensation.
It’s not clear why an orgasm might lead to synesthesia, but the feel-good hormones released and the increase in brain activity during the act may increase the likelihood that multiple nerves are stimulated.
This is often associated with brain development. The organ is said to have developed differently during childhood than in ‘neurotypical’ people.
Many people with this condition live normal, fulfilling lives. Some even say it gives them a richer experience of the world.
In other cases, individuals have reported seeing different colors during each phase of sex. They reported seeing orange at the beginning of sex, yellow during sex, and then pink during the climax phase.
Other types of impairments include seeing a specific color when hearing a car horn, or saying they can taste words when they hear them.
Vincent van Gogh, Wassily Kandinsky and Lorde are all said to suffer from the condition.
There is no specific treatment for this condition. According to doctors, it is not necessary because the condition is not a disease.
It is estimated that up to two percent of the population experiences some degree of synesthesia during sex. Psychology Today.
The researchers from Mashhad University wrote in their 2022 case report: ‘The present report shows that a rare form of synesthesia exists, namely orgasm-to-color synesthesia with specific pain-to-color synesthesia.
‘Contrary to previous reports, our case showed that color orgasm is a form of synesthesia that may not negatively impact men’s sex lives.’
