| Sensory
Revolution
Socially, we have been living in a time of
unparalleled self-gratification. Economically,
from drugs to travel, and from videogames to fashion
and fragrance, we have been spending more money
than ever on things that delight our senses. Politically,
we are now having to become a more aware and vigilant
world. And technologically, whether through brain
and genetic mapping or nanotechnology imbedded
in our surroundings, our senses are being dissected
and explored. All of these combined are destined
to lead to a sensory revolution that will have
far-reaching consequences.
Our sensory input and responses are increasingly
filled with paradox. Today’s consumer is
seen as a “conscious sensualist” -
with a halo effect permeating company offerings
and operations in categories from organic food
to earth-friendly home furnishings. Recycled,
energy-conserving, natural, holistic are all terms
that appeal to the senses of many in the marketplace.
In seeming opposition, art is moving further toward
the outrageous gesture, which is becoming the
“true and only form of creativity”
for many. Perverse modernism attempts to make
sex and violence as offensive as possible in a
deliberate and intellectual way. Working harder
may actually depress productivity, because the
additional hours rarely generate strong output.
Americans may be better off emulating Europeans,
and taking more time off to relax and recuperate.
Early reports that the Internet led to loneliness
and depression have been contradicted, and the
belief now is that it actually enables gregarious
people to be even more social in both the real
and virtual worlds.
More surprises: Research is now showing that
people do not perceive the world through five
separate senses, but that different sources of
energy are exploited simultaneously. For example,
light radiation intersects acoustic pressure waves.
Touch, sight, and hearing are all used together,
indicating multisensory perception. The tongue
turns out to be the second-best place on the human
body for “seeing” – receiving
visual information and sending it to the brain.
We see with our brain and not with our eyes. Music
and language, despite earlier theories, now are
seen to be wired together in the same region of
the brain. From the animal kingdom we discover
that fruit flies have ears that also pick up odors
– smelling, hearing, tasting and touching
seem to be all partnered. This could lead to totally
new perceptions on hearing in vertebrates.
And it is the leading edge of science, quantum
physics, that is supporting concepts of telepathy
via research into “entanglement” –
atoms interacting so the events of one instantly
affect the other, no matter how far away.
The sensory puzzle is only beginning to be solved.
Do we perceive differently because of genetics,
the environment or social conditioning? Spring
and summer births have been linked to anorexia
and brain abnormalities. Are seasonal influences
affecting us as embryos? Nutrigenomics researchers
are exploring the relationship of the mitochondrial
genome to degenerative diseases including sensory
loss (e.g., deafness).
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