Mirror-Touch Synesthesia

What is mirror-touch synesthesia?

Mirror-touch synesthesia (pronounced “sin-ess-THEE-zhuh”) happens when you feel the sensation of touch on your body when you watch someone else be touched. Synesthesia is the activation of two or more senses (vision and touch) when only one should activate (vision).

Mirror-touch synesthesia may feel comforting for some or anxiety-inducing for others. You might feel this sensation once in a while or very frequently throughout the day. The sensation of touch has a different effect on each person. A healthcare provider can help you with this symptom if it becomes overwhelming.

What are the types of mirror-touch synesthesia?

Researchers found that there are two types of mirror-touch synesthesia based on where you feel observed touch:

• Mirrored touch: Similar to looking in a mirror, if you see touch happen on the right side of someone else’s body, you’ll feel it on the left side of your body.
• Shared touch: If you see touch happen on the right side of someone else’s body, you’ll also feel it on the same side of your body.

What is an example of mirror-touch synesthesia?

Let’s say you’re watching a suspenseful movie alone in your home. Someone on-screen taps on the main character’s right shoulder to get their attention. While watching the movie, you feel the taps on your left shoulder. No one physically tapped you. But because your brain is performing a sensory crossover (synesthesia), you feel the sensation on your body that you see happening to someone else.

How rare is mirror-touch synesthesia?

Mirror-touch synesthesia isn’t common. One study estimated that 1.6% of people in a sample of the general population experience mirror-touch synesthesia.

Is there a mirror-touch synesthesia test?

There aren’t official diagnostic criteria available for mirror-touch synesthesia. However, your healthcare provider can learn more about this symptom during an exam. They may ask you questions about how you feel when you see someone being touched or how often this symptom affects you. Your provider may touch their skin or show you a video of someone’s skin being touched to see if it produces a reaction.

What causes mirror-touch synesthesia?

Studies suggest that regions of your brain responsible for touch could become overactive when you see someone else being touched. This causes you to feel the sensation of touch on your body. These regions include:

• Mirror neurons: These are brain cells that activate when you want to copy an action that you see.
• Somatosensory cortex (primary and secondary): This is the part of your brain that processes the sensation of touch that usually only activates when you’re being touched.
• Anterior insula: This region processes how you feel and helps you understand how others feel.

Researchers don’t understand exactly why synesthesia occurs. Some research suggests it may have a genetic cause, or it may happen after a brain injury or drug exposure, for some examples.

Is mirror-touch synesthesia linked with empathy?

Researchers suggest that mirror-touch synesthesia may relate to empathy. Empathy is the understanding and awareness of other people’s emotions. A common way to understand empathy is to “step into someone else’s shoes.” This lets you identify how they feel from their perspective.

Empathy and mirror-touch synesthesia have a lot of similarities. For example, you feel what the other person is feeling. But this happens in slightly different ways. Mirror-touch synesthesia is feeling the physical sensation of touch, whereas empathy connects on an emotional level.

Several studies examined the relationship between mirror-touch synesthesia and empathy. One study found that people who experience mirror-touch synesthesia may have a higher empathetic response to others. However, other studies have different results. Research is ongoing to learn more.

How is mirror-touch synesthesia treated?

There isn’t a specific treatment available that works well for everyone. And in some cases, you may not want or need treatment because this symptom may not interfere with your daily life. But if it does, a healthcare provider may recommend the following to help you manage mirror-touch synesthesia:

• Therapy: You may benefit from different types of psychotherapy, like cognitive behavioral therapy for mirror-touch synesthesia. A mental health professional can help you find ways to prioritize your own feelings versus feeling for others.
• Medications: A healthcare provider may recommend taking medications to relieve symptoms of anxiety or depression if they affect you.

What are the possible complications of mirror-touch synesthesia?

You might experience sensory overload with mirror-touch synesthesia. This happens when you feel overstimulated by too many sensations happening all at once. You might feel anxious or not present in what you’re doing. You may avoid triggering situations that could lead to negative symptoms, like going to an event where there are many people close to each other. This could lead to depression or social isolation over time.

When should mirror-touch synesthesia be treated by a healthcare provider?

Talk to a healthcare provider if this symptom impacts your day-to-day routine. For example, it might prevent you from going out in public with loved ones because it causes sensory overload.

Let your provider know if you feel more than the sensation of touch. There’s a type of synesthesia known as mirror-pain synesthesia. Instead of just feeling the sensation of touch, you also feel someone else’s pain. A healthcare provider can help you manage this.