Vision, Touch, Hearing, Taste, Smell... Those are the 5 human senses, right? That's what we're taught in school and what most people believe.
But actually, we have more!
This is the definition of the word "sense" in the Oxford Dictionary:
SENSE - A faculty by which the body perceives an external stimulus; one of the faculties of sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch.
Only those 5 senses are listed. But if the only condition is that "the body perceives an external stimulus", then Scientists have come up with many more senses that we actually have. I will go over the major 3 in detail:
Thermoception - The sense of recognizing temperature
This seems so obvious and simple, yet it's rarely acknowledged! Of course we can't only tell how something feels, but also how hot or cold it is.
Although some might say this belongs to the sense of touch, anatomically the receptors that sense temperature are totally different from those that only measure the pressure on our skin.
Thermoception also plays an important factor in taste, so it applies to different senses.
Another interesting fact is that sometimes when we eat something minty or brush our teeth, our mouth feels cold. And when we eat spicy flavours, our mouth feels hot - regardless of the actual temperature. That's because we have hot and cold receptors, and certain foods activate only one kind.
But we don't only have thermoreceptors on our skin - we have them inside our body as well, to measure the inner body temperature and keep it at an optimum, to make sure all the processes inside can function properly.
Proprioception - The sense of knowing where your body is located
If I'd tell you to touch your knee while having your eyes closed - that wouldn't be a problem, right?
This means that you knew the location of your knee, and you also knew where your finger ended.
This is the awareness of where our body parts are located, in relation to the environment and to your own body - called Proprioception.
This is only possible because certain receptors in our muscles inform the brain about the muscle's stretch and length.
Without proprioception, we wouldn't be able to walk without constantly looking at our feet, or catch something without looking at our own hands.
Equilibrioception - The sense of balance
The vestibular system in our inner ear is filled with fluid and makes it possible for us to stay in balance.
Also, if you closed your eyes and I would stretch your leg out and bring your body out of balance, you would immediately feel the difference.
Equilibrioception is linked with our sense of vision - for example, we get motion sick when our eyes think we are moving, but the vestibular system in our ear tells us we're not.
So there's a contradiction, which makes us feel nauseous.
This also makes it possible for us to cancel out our own body's motions - for example when you you shake your head while reading something, it will still be relatively easy for you to follow the letters.
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© Sirwinchester
SEP has good article on bodily awareness:
"The notion of bodily awareness is at the crossroads of philosophical debates on the self, perception, action and space. This entry will focus on three main questions: (i) How does the awareness of one's body differ from the awareness of other objects? (ii) What are the roles of action and mental representations of the body for bodily awareness? (iii) What makes us feel our body as our own?"
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/bodily-awareness/
very interesting, thanks for the input !
More on body awareness: https://steemit.com/philosophy/@id-entity/gnwthi-seayton-know-thyself
Interesting article! Senses are an amazing miracle of life. I also like to see what happens to the senses, when you turn off some, like closing your eyes. How the other sense are instantly sensitized.
Following you now
thermoception seems pretty logical, but proprioception sounds crazy (and amazing). It's something we totally take for granted, yet it's so important
you are absolutely right. without it, we would have big problems with mastering our daily life
Who runs these accounts that are so interested in sirwinchester once a week?
If you get them up to a 35 rep you could play some @steemsports with them....
I'm just saying....
I object, Sir.
We do not perceive temperature.
We perceive differences in temperature.
To my knowledge, there are only some very few species that actually check their sensory temperature input against their body temperature, thereby obtaining a somewhat absolute data. That is some of the scrub fowl, Megapodius something. The need it for checking the temperature of their dung nets, with their long beaks, because do not care to breed their eggs themselves.
And once again, we do not only perceive temperature through the skin, but also via spine and brain in particular. But there is not much sensing in that.
Whilst other senses serve orientation, temperature perception merely serves as an input to regulate body and skin temperature. Plus to keep your fingers off a hot plate.
Not really a sense for it lacks its own faculty.
Equilibrioception? As to input, it is two for the price of one. The Nervus vestibulocochlearis does in fact consist of two parts, but just like smelling and tasting, they have the same origin.
Most birds lack smelling.
But they taste. No the first choice, but to some extent, it does the job.
Equilibrium is not a sense either.
The Vestibulocochlearis is not going to keep you straight without the brain processing some additional input. Without optical crossreferencing and several reflex systems in your legs and spine, you stand straight, close your eyes - and hit the floor within seconds.
So, equilibrium is a result of complex calculations in the brain, plus some cheap labour outsourced down the spine.
Ah, I see it is still a philosophical concept to some degree.
I agree with the third.
1 & 2 are feel/touch.
the 2nd one is crazy - knowing where your body parts are located, knowing where your body begins and ends. I have never thought about that but it's such an essential tool for our behaviour and even the simplest tasks
If you just close your eyes and concentrate on body sense as it feels, where does it begin and end? ;)
that's true - we never think about it, but it's actually an amazing skill we have!
had no clue about this - very interesting theory!!
glad you enjoyed it
that first picture is awesome :D
thank you :)
feeling the temperature seems so basic to us, but you're right of course that's somehow a sense. never thought about it that way.
exactly! And feeling the temperature in many different cirumstances
those words are quite a mouthful, but great explanation and very interesting topic
thank you!
there are definitely more than 5 basic senses - what about that feeling when someone stares at you..
Or when you can't see someone, but know you're there because you can sense their presence next to you
good points!
Scientists have found many more senses recently
that's a crazy interesting topic, thanks for sharing.
Funny that even the dictionary definition only features 5 senses
I know, right. Science is constantly changing and improving so definitions should change too!
very interesting read, I love geeky stuff like this :D
glad you enjoyed it !
it amazes me every time to see what our body (and brain) can do! makes me feel like we need to appreciate life more :))
100% agreed!
all the stuff that's going on inside our bodies, without us even noticing.. mother nature is amazing!
so true!
I think there must be even more mental senses - like pity or a sense of justice. But I guess that depends more on our values.
those factors are very individual, and you're right I guess they depend more on yourself and your personality and can't be judged in general for all humans
No wonder humans are intelligent beings. Eye opener. Upvoted.
thank you, appreciate it
Honestly these are NEVER spoken about
I liked your article. Helps you like mine ♥ @siams
The were probably philosophical concepts of some type before the scientific age.
Very interesting stuff!
And there is one more which is no longer an inborn sense and becoming rare in human beings... that is common sense. Sorry just had to list it.
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