You experience the world in rich, distinctive, and profound ways. For example, the sight of clear blue skies on a crisp fall morning might immediately take you back to school days. This astonishing ability to perceive and remember your surroundings is all thanks to your eight (yes, eight!) senses.
Each person interacts with the senses differently (and may even neglect some), which shapes your memories and experiences. Learning about your sensory preferences and cultivating all your senses can enrich your quality of life.
Sight (aka the visual system)
Your eyes and brain take in everything you see (including color, shape, orientation, and motion) and process this information. Vision is the most dominant and complex sense, and actively engaging with it can help you navigate the world with more intention.
How to tune in
• Look at your usual surroundings with a fresh perspective and register the new details you find. • Visit someplace new, like an art gallery, and take in all the colors, shapes, and movement around you.
Hearing (aka the auditory system)
The nervous system and ears are involved in the complex auditory process that helps you parse sound waves and different frequencies into meaningful patterns and signals—like your favorite song or best friend’s voice. Hearing is vital for connecting and communicating with others. Your sense of hearing also greatly impacts your emotions, so honing this sense could even help you regulate them better.
How to tune in
• Practice active listening—with conversations, audiobooks, and even your surroundings—by being present and focusing on that activity. • Meditate to declutter your mind and cut down the noise to improve your auditory process.
Smell (aka the olfactory system)
Your sense of smell detects various odors with the help of your nose. These scents, pleasant and otherwise, are then processed by the amygdala and hippocampus, which are also responsible for memory and emotional processing. This is why the sense of smell can evoke memories and feelings of comfort and nostalgia. Research has found that smell-induced memories can reduce inflammation in the body and have a positive impact on overall health.
How to tune in
• Spend a few extra minutes in the morning breathing in the aroma of your coffee. • Notice the scents around you on a rainy day or boost your mood with aromatherapy.
Taste (aka the gustatory system)
With the help of the tongue and brain, your sense of taste detects different flavors and allows you to distinguish harmful foods from safe ones. As an evolutionary characteristic, this sense is crucial for survival—so it’s not surprising that any alteration or loss of taste can have negative repercussions on dietary habits and health.
How to tune in
• Savor new or uncommon flavors, like these Spicy Raspberry Habanero Ice Pops. • Make homemade pop rocks to initiate a sensory reaction in your mouth!
Touch (aka the tactile system)
The tactile system helps you perceive physical contact and movement. The sense of touch is crucial for mental and physical well-being. Touch stimulates skin’s tactile nerve endings, signaling the brain to release endorphins, oxytocin, and serotonin.
How to tune in
• Take a warm bath and pay attention to how the water feels around you. • Touch the variety of fabrics in your closet and make a note of how each feels.
Balance (aka the vestibular system)
Your sense of balance is a two-part system that involves the central neural pathways in the brain that respond to the peripheral system in the inner ear. The vestibular system is responsible for your sense of balance, orientation, and spatial awareness. It mainly relates to movement and your head’s position in conjunction with eye movement and posture.
How to tune in
• Notice how your head and body tilt to the side to maintain your balance and prevent you from falling when you’re riding a bike. • Walk into a dark room and experience how different your movement feels.
Space (aka the proprioceptive system)
The proprioceptive system internally senses the position, location, and movement of your muscles and joints. This sense combines sensory information from your inner ear, which detects motion and orientation, and the nerve endings in your muscles and ligaments. Proprioception supports motor actions by helping you learn, plan, and execute them correctly.
How to tune in
• Touch your nose, elbows, knees, or toes with your forefinger without looking. • Get down on the floor and commando crawl by pulling yourself forward with forearms.
Internal (aka the interoception system)
This sense helps you perceive your body’s internal sensations and functions, like hunger, thirst, pain, or discomfort, as well as heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing. The body-to-brain neural channels send information that helps you sense and interpret your internal processes.
How to tune in
• Focus on taking deep breaths and pay attention to how your diaphragm and lungs expand with each breath and how your heart rate slows down. • Notice closely the signals your body sends when it is time to eat or sleep.
Vibha Shukla is an editor and staff writer at alive. She loves writing about a sustainable, healthy future for people and the planet.
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