Women are three times as likely as men to have the condition. Synesthetes are also more likely to be left-handed and have someone else in their families with the condition. Estimates of the number of people with synesthesia vary wildly—from 1 in 200 to as few as 1 in 100,000.Although scientists don’t know which areas of the brain are involved with synesthesia, some believe that this condition is caused by “crossed wires” within the brain. Other research points to the limbic system (which regulates emotional responses) as being responsible for this syndrome.
