Super Sensations: 32 Ways to Understand Reality

We tend to think that humans have five senses: hearing, sight, smell, taste, and touch. However, modern science suggests that we actually have at least 32. The senses not only inform us about the world around us and our inner state, they literally shape us.
Based on the latest research, science journalist Emma Young reveals unexpected aspects of the senses that are common to all of us and tells the stories of the incredible sensory abilities of some individuals — from record-breaking free divers to voodoo priests and shamans. Among these unique individuals are a nurse who can identify Parkinson's disease by smell, a blind ballerina performing on stage, and people who can navigate space like bats using echolocation. We take our senses for granted, but what opportunities could open up for us if we better understand their nature? The author not only explains familiar and unusual phenomena related to the sensory organs but also suggests how they can be trained and improved. Can this new knowledge and exercises make us happier, healthier, and more successful? One thing is certain: the book allows us to look at ourselves and the world in a new way.