An alternative name could be emotional-gustatory synesthesia
This type of synesthesia appears to be even rarer than emotion-smell synesthesia, which is also very uncommon. According to Sean Day's study, a very small percentage of synesthetes may have this type (0.26%). The emotions triggering a gustatory concurrent can be of two different types: the synesthete’s own emotions, or those they observe in other people. In the cases I have found, the tastes are perceived in response to the synesthetes’ own emotions, and they are closely linked to the colours they also see or associate with these emotions.
Here are some descriptions written by people with this type of synesthesia:
(Source: This post and comments on Reddit/Synesthesia. 2020.)
Anger:
“Anger tastes like iron and dust.”
“Anger for me tastes like cayenne pepper.”
Happiness:
“Happiness tastes like soap and the color yellow”
“Happiness is blue and tastes like oranges.”
“Happiness tastes like yellow for me too, as well as sweet like a marshmallow.”
Sadness:
“Sadness tastes like the smell of rain and cotton.”
“Sadness is black and tastes like licorice.”
I have to say I find the simple beauty of these descriptions fascinating, as neurological synesthesia seems to mix with literary synesthesia in the natural, heartfelt words of these emotion-taste synesthetes.
Related types of synesthesia:
Perceived emotion-to-colour and other concurrents (with other people’s emotions)
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