Time-space synesthetes: a few questions about how numbers (not just months) work in your layout
Hi r/Synesthesia. I've been reading the time-space synesthesia literature (Brang, Simner, Smilek, the Sagiv consistency work) and most of it focuses on calendars, either months in circles or years along lines, that kind of thing. I'm more interested in something that is touched upon by the literature, but not extensively, which is the number placement within your synesthetic layouts, over a broader set than the typical 1-10 range of experiments.
I have some questions, if you don't mind me asking. You don't need to answer all of them. Just answer whichever feel interesting.
Shape. Does your number space have a general shape to it? The classical answers include "line," "ring," "curve," "grid." I doubt these are mutually exclusive categories. Does your number layout fit into any of these, or do you have something weirder, more complex. Is it bent/folded or multiple segments, is it 3D, does it become discontinuous between decades? What does it actually look like?
Density. Are some numbers in your layout vivid while others are dim? Is this arbitrary, is there a pattern (e.g., primes are vivid), are decade markers bright (10, 20, 30, ...), or do personally significant numbers (e.g., birthdays, home/other addresses) get highlighted?
Stability under external conditions. Does your layout change when you are tired/stressed/sleep-deprived/on drugs/etc.? Or does it remain stable regardless of external conditions? The question matters, since many researchers assume full stability, and I doubt that's true.
Errors. When you make an error involving numbers (eg.: remembering a wrong phone number digit, mixing up a price, remembering a date incorrectly) does the wrong number tend to come from close proximity in your synesthetic layout to the correct one? Or do the errors come from across the layout?
As I said, most of the literature focuses on calendar synesthesia and mentions number space as an aside, but you know your numbers far better than the researchers. I'd be genuinely interested to hear about the experiences in the community!
Thanks a lot.