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To make sense of human voices， we rely on senses beyond hearing. The songs of Taylor Swift can be sweet and soft. Lady Gaga’s singing feels dark. Johnny Cash2’s voice was low and rough. That’s because voice is not just sound： it can be seen and heard， but also tasted and touched. The sound we hear in voice creates “multisensory images”—drawing in perceptions from many senses， not just one.3
The phenomenon of multisensory perception can help us to understand why we assign metaphorical properties of softness， roughness or depth to voice.4 Think of a politician whose voice is flat. Flatness is a multisensory concept because it is both tactile5 and visual. We can recognise flat surfaces by either touching or seeing them. These sensory impressions inform us about the acoustic characteristics of voice， implying that it does not have variation in tone.6 Notably， flatness can also convey lack of sympathy and emotion on the part of the speaker.
Softness is another common way to present the auditory7 perception of sound. Like flatness， it can describe not only the sound quality but also the speaker’s emotional state. And what about sharpness， a descriptor that might relate to both tactile and visual experience？ Calling a voice sharp could be a metaphor for an aggressive， nasty8 speaker—or a means of describing acoustic， vocal sounds.
Multisensory images allow us to identify and deal with things that can harm or benefit us. A falling mortar shell， a jumping tiger or a skidding car are not just auditory or visual images：9 they are perceived as multisensory images and can be conceived of as potential life threats. In cognitive psychology， it is generally recognised that， as Vanessa Harrar of the University of Oxford puts it， “integrating information from individual senses increases the chance of survival by reducing the variability in the incoming signals， thus allowing us to respond more rapidly”.10 In fact， notes Harrar， when the components of the multisensory signals are simultaneous，11 our reaction time is fastest of all.
The psychologist Charles Spence at the University of Oxford has done extensive research on how humans integrate sensory information with respect to culinary experience，12 finding that vision and hearing can change how food tastes. One study found that desserts tasted sweeter on a white plate than a black plate. Another study found that heavy cutlery13 made food taste better.
The multisensory perceptions that result in metaphors help us to think about relatively abstract things with more familiar ideas. In Metaphors We Live By （2003）， the linguist George Lakoff and the philosopher Mark Johnson， who devised “conceptual metaphor theory”， say that humans use concrete ideas to understand abstract phenomena.14 Linguistic and psychological research supports the idea that metaphors empower our abstract thought about time， money， morality， death and even orgasm.15 Time， for example， is an abstract idea， and we tend to understand it through the more concreteseeming16 experience of space： time can flow， and it can stand still. Our past is better left behind， because our future lies ahead.
The phenomenon of multisensory perception can help us to understand why we assign metaphorical properties of softness， roughness or depth to voice.4 Think of a politician whose voice is flat. Flatness is a multisensory concept because it is both tactile5 and visual. We can recognise flat surfaces by either touching or seeing them. These sensory impressions inform us about the acoustic characteristics of voice， implying that it does not have variation in tone.6 Notably， flatness can also convey lack of sympathy and emotion on the part of the speaker.
Softness is another common way to present the auditory7 perception of sound. Like flatness， it can describe not only the sound quality but also the speaker’s emotional state. And what about sharpness， a descriptor that might relate to both tactile and visual experience？ Calling a voice sharp could be a metaphor for an aggressive， nasty8 speaker—or a means of describing acoustic， vocal sounds.
Multisensory images allow us to identify and deal with things that can harm or benefit us. A falling mortar shell， a jumping tiger or a skidding car are not just auditory or visual images：9 they are perceived as multisensory images and can be conceived of as potential life threats. In cognitive psychology， it is generally recognised that， as Vanessa Harrar of the University of Oxford puts it， “integrating information from individual senses increases the chance of survival by reducing the variability in the incoming signals， thus allowing us to respond more rapidly”.10 In fact， notes Harrar， when the components of the multisensory signals are simultaneous，11 our reaction time is fastest of all.
The psychologist Charles Spence at the University of Oxford has done extensive research on how humans integrate sensory information with respect to culinary experience，12 finding that vision and hearing can change how food tastes. One study found that desserts tasted sweeter on a white plate than a black plate. Another study found that heavy cutlery13 made food taste better.
The multisensory perceptions that result in metaphors help us to think about relatively abstract things with more familiar ideas. In Metaphors We Live By （2003）， the linguist George Lakoff and the philosopher Mark Johnson， who devised “conceptual metaphor theory”， say that humans use concrete ideas to understand abstract phenomena.14 Linguistic and psychological research supports the idea that metaphors empower our abstract thought about time， money， morality， death and even orgasm.15 Time， for example， is an abstract idea， and we tend to understand it through the more concreteseeming16 experience of space： time can flow， and it can stand still. Our past is better left behind， because our future lies ahead.