Even when we don’t realize it our five senses are constantly in action when we are awake. Sight gives us the ability to take in our surroundings visually, even when we blink or close our eyes for a brief moment, one could argue sight is still in action because you can see the darkness of your eye lids, it is just restricted. Touch gives us the ability to feel not only objects, but also temperature. This means you don’t have to be directly touching something for your sense of touch to be active. Taste is an interesting scent because one might argue that if you are not eating, than what is there to taste? Outside of eating, the sense of taste can be active and we don’t even recognize it because we are so used to it. Our taste buds against our teeth or the roof of our mouths, the very air we breath can all be associated with the sense of taste. There can be a similar argument made with smell. Even if there doesn’t seem to be a strong presence of scent, our noses are actively always in action because when we use them to breathe we also smell. So even if the smell is just “fresh air” your nose is still reregistering a different scent than it would it you were in a different location. The last of the five senses is listening, which seems pretty straight forward, even if its just the buzz of a nearby air conditioning unit or the sound or your own heartbeat, your ears are always active. We are constantly relying on our five senses, they are what get us through day to day life, however what if one became unreliable? What if the senses created something false or something that wasn’t even there?
The majority of the time, our five senses are reliable. If we went through life not trusting our sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell, nothing could ever possibly get done. In fact, a lot of progress can be accomplished when being aware of and using our five senses. However, has there ever been moments when your own senses deceived you? Maybe you heard a voice, but no one was there. Thought you might have felt someone breathe on your neck, but again no one was there. Possibly you smelled something cooking in the oven, so you go down to the kitchen and there is nothing. You could be eating a delightful dish and taste something completely random. These are all possible examples of your senses becoming unreliable and creating something false that seems real.
These can all cause us to question our overall sense of reality. Sometimes these “false senses” can even be associated with memory. Deja Vu, which is the feeling of an experience already happening, is also associated with memory. This can lead to the question: Are the “false senses” related to Deja Vu sense they are both associated with memory and can create the uncanny feeling?
Some of these have the potential of being a real condition that can be helped by medical professionals. Phantosmia is a condition in which someone might smell things that are not truly there. This can even result in changing the taste of food.(NHS Choices) There are also very serious mental health conditions that can cause hallucinations and the hearing of voices which can also be treated with the help of medical professionals.(Nidirect) Any of the five senses consistently creating a false sense should be discussed with a doctor.
Sources
“Hallucinations and Hearing Voices .” NHS Choices, NHS, 15 Feb. 2022, https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/feelings-symptoms-behaviours/feelings-and-symptoms/hallucinations-hearing-voices/.
“Smelling Things That Aren’t There (Phantosmia).” Nidirect, Nidirect Government Services , 27 June 2021, https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/conditions/smelling-things-arent-there-phantosmia#:~:text=Smelling%20things%20that%20aren’t%20there%20is%20called%20phantosmia.,a%20few%20weeks%20or%20months.
