David Eagleman: The afterlife, synesthesia and other tales of the sensesDavid Eagleman: The afterlife, synesthesia and other tales of the senses
All In The Mind
Neuroscientist by day, novelist by night - David Eagleman has just written an extraordinary little novel about the afterlife. He's also a leading researcher in synesthesia, studying people who taste sounds, hear colours, and live in a remarkable world of sensory cross-talk. He joins Natasha Mitchell in conversation about life, death and the in-between.
30:06•20 Jun 2009
Senses Crossed: David Eagleman on Afterlives, Synaesthesia and the Brain
Episode Overview
- The episode presents 40 playful, mutually exclusive afterlife tales as a way to highlight how little is truly known about death and God.
- Synaesthesia is described as genuine sensory cross-wiring, where sounds, words, numbers or tastes consistently trigger colours, shapes or other sensations.
- Eagleman explains rigorous tests for synaesthesia based on long-term consistency and shows how brain imaging supports these experiences.
- The discussion challenges rigid, modular views of the brain and suggests that small genetic changes can lead to very different perceptions of reality.
- Eagleman stresses that neuroscience is still at "the foot of the mountain" with big questions like consciousness, despite impressive technology and scans.
“So you are not gone, you are simply taking on different forms.”
Ever wondered why some people taste names or see colours when they hear music? This episode of *All In The Mind* takes you right into that strange territory, with neuroscientist and novelist David Eagleman chatting with host Natasha Mitchell about how our brains build reality.
You’ll hear Eagleman read from his quirky afterlife novel *Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives*, including a playful vision in which, as he puts it, "you are not gone, you are simply taking on different forms" as your atoms spread across plants, animals and landscapes. Rather than arguing for or against an afterlife, he uses 40 wildly different stories to celebrate how little we truly know about death, God and consciousness.
Alongside metaphysical musings, Eagleman breaks down synaesthesia in clear, accessible language. He describes people who see colours when they hear music, taste words like "Derek" as earwax, or feel days of the week arranged in space around them. He explains how his lab tests genuine synaesthesia through rock-solid consistency over time, and why brain scans show real cross-talk between neighbouring sensory regions. There’s plenty here for anyone curious about the mind, whether or not they’re dealing with addiction or recovery.
Eagleman argues we’re "absolutely at the foot of the mountain" with brain science, pointing out that we still can’t even explain how billions of tiny parts add up to conscious experience. That humility might feel surprisingly reassuring if you’ve ever wished your own brain came with an instruction manual.
The conversation stays warm, funny and grounded, even while touching on God as a lonely quark, babies’ buzzing brains, and the idea that each of us may experience a subtly different version of reality. If you’re interested in how perception, identity and imagination all tangle together – and what that might mean for changing your life – this one’s well worth your time. After listening, how differently might you see your own senses?
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