Original photo by Nanci Santos/ iStock
If someone were to ask what you did last August, you might open your calendar to jog your memory. But for others, thinking back to the past (or ahead to the future) conjures up vivid mental shapes that help them clearly picture the passage of time. Roughly 1% of the population can visualize time as complex spatial arrangements. It’s a phenomenon called “calendar synesthesia,” in which people “see” vivid manifestations of days, weeks, months, years, or even decades in the form of shapes and patterns.
For example, they may see the months of the year as a circle that surrounds the body, with the current month right in front of them. Or they may visualize years as a straight line, with past years to the left and future ones to the right. Scientists are unsure about what causes calendar synesthesia — or any form of synesthesia, for that matter (such as “seeing” colors or music in the mind). What we do know is this condition occurs when the stimulation of a single sensory pathway (e.g., sight or sound) triggers the stimulation of another (e.g., the visualization of spatial imagery).
Oops, incorrect!
It's a factFrench Revolutionary Time was adopted in 1793, with 10-hour days, 100 minutes per hour, and 100 seconds per minute. France also briefly implemented the French Republican Calendar, which divided months into three 10-day weeks. Neither decimal-based system lasted past 1806.
A 2016 study conducted by neuroscientist V.S. Ramachandran analyzed one particular subject who perceived calendars in a “V” shape written in Helvetica font. The subject reported that the calendar expanded or contracted based on where she stood, and she was also able to repeatedly trace consistent angles and lengths within this imaginary calendar using a laser pointer.
Another test subject from the study viewed months of the year as a Hula-Hoop, where December always passed through her chest. She was able to recount clear memories when looking left “toward” the calendar, though she had more difficulty remembering those details while looking “away” to the right. These tests led researchers to conclude there was “clear unambiguous proof for the veracity and true perceptual nature of the phenomenon,” and that calendar synesthesia is connected to parts of the brain responsible for processing visual information and recalling the past.
Numbers Don't Lie
More Interesting Reads
In 1712, ______ observed February 30 while transitioning from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar.
Ready to reveal?
Confirm your email to play the next question?
In 1712, Sweden observed February 30 while transitioning from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar.
Between 2% and 4% of people can’t picture things in their mind.
Aphantasia is a harmless condition in which the brain is unable to conjure mental images. While many of us can imagine pictures in lucid detail, people with mild aphantasia can see only dim or vague representations of those objects, and some are unable to visualize anything at all.
According to a 2021 study, aphantasia affects 3.9% of the population. Other estimates claim 15% of those affected only experience the condition with their eyes closed. Many people are born with congenital aphantasia and may go their whole life without realizing anything is different. Others develop the condition later, usually due to an illness or injury, so the change is more apparent. Experts may diagnose aphantasia using a Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire, which was created in 1973 to determine how the imagination differs from person to person.
Bennett Kleinman is a New York City-based staff writer for Optimism Media, and previously contributed to television programs such as "Late Show With David Letterman" and "Impractical Jokers." Bennett is also a devoted New York Yankees and New Jersey Devils fan, and thinks plain seltzer is the best drink ever invented.
top picks from the optimism network
Interesting Facts is part of Optimism, which publishes content that uplifts, informs, and inspires.
