Expert: Walter Hintz - 12/30/2006

Question
Hi, I got a question to ask you.
Scientifically, do normal human have the same perception of taste, touch, sight, hearing and smell? For example, does a food taste the same to two normal people?

Answer
In general probably yes. But there is a difference between what we sense and how we interpret what we sense.  There are hereditary factors with regard to taste, for example, so what you think tastes good may taste bad to me. When I look at a spider I see a thing of beauty but my wife wants to kill it. What we perceive is largely a result of learning processes.  My son likes to hear Twisted Sister and I like Mozart