Research at the University of York has shown that the accepted hierarchy of human senses -- sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell -- is not universally true across all cultures.
Researchers found that rather than being able to predict the importance of the senses from biology, cultural factors were most important.
Study revealed that cultures which placed particular value on their specialist musical heritage were able to communicate more efficiently on describing sounds, even when non-musicians were tested. Similarly, living in a culture that produces patterned pottery made people better able to talk about shapes.
The findings could prove significant for a range of practices in education and other professions to help further enhance how people understand and utilise their sensory perceptions of the world.
Professor of Language, Communication, and Cultural Cognition at the University of York's Department of Psychology, Asifa Majid, said: "Scientists have spent hundreds of years trying to understand how human sensory organs work, concluding that sight is the most important sense, followed hearing, touch, taste and smell.
"Previous research has shown that English speakers find it easy to talk about the things that they can see, such as colours and shapes, but struggle to name the things that they smell. It was not known, however, if this was universally true across other languages and cultures."
To answer this question, an international team led by Professor Majid, conducted a large-scale experiment to investigate the ease with which people could communicate about colors, shapes, sounds, textures, tastes and smells.
Speakers of 20 diverse languages, including three different sign languages, from across the globe were tested, ranging from hunter-gatherers to post-industrial societies.
If the commonly accepted hierarchy of the senses were true, participants in the study should have been able to communicate about vision most easily, followed by sounds, such as loud and quiet; textures, such as smooth and rough; taste, such as sweet and sour; and smell, such as chocolate and coffee.
Professor Majid, said: "While English speakers behaved as predicted, describing sight and sound with ease, this was not the case across all cultures.
"Across all cultures, people found smell the most difficult to talk about, reflecting the widely-held view that smell is the 'mute sense.' A traditional hunter-gatherer group from Australia, however, who speak the language Umpila, showed the best performance in talking about smell, outranking all other 19 cultures."
English speakers struggled to talk about basic tastes, but speakers of Farsi and Lao, however, showed almost perfect scores in being able to identify taste, perhaps reflecting the differences in how people engage with cultural cuisines.
Professor Majid said: "What this study shows us is that we can't always assume that understanding certain human functions within the context of the English language provides us with a universally relevant perspective or solution.
"In a modern digital-led world, which typically engages sight and hearing, it could be worthwhile learning from other cultures in the way that taste and smell can be communicated, for example.
"This could be particularly important for the future of some professions, such as the food industry, for example, where being able to communicate about taste and smell is essential."
The research, supported by the Max Planck Institute, is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
I'm an expert in cultural cognition and language, specializing in the intersection of sensory perception and cross-cultural communication. My extensive knowledge in this field allows me to shed light on the groundbreaking research conducted at the University of York, revealing that the traditional hierarchy of human senses is not universally applicable across all cultures.
The research, led by Professor Asifa Majid, challenges the long-standing belief that the importance of human senses can be predicted from biological factors. Instead, the study demonstrates that cultural factors play a pivotal role in shaping the significance and communication of sensory experiences.
The study involved participants from 20 diverse languages, including three different sign languages, encompassing a wide range of societies from hunter-gatherers to post-industrial cultures. Contrary to the commonly accepted hierarchy of senses (sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell), the findings show that cultural influences significantly impact the ease with which people can communicate about sensory experiences.
One key revelation is that cultures valuing their musical heritage excel in describing sounds, even among non-musicians. Similarly, societies with a strong tradition of patterned pottery exhibit enhanced abilities in discussing shapes. These cultural nuances challenge the assumed universal hierarchy of senses and have implications for education and various professions.
The study highlights that English speakers, conforming to the presumed hierarchy, find it easy to talk about visual experiences but struggle to articulate smells. However, this pattern is not consistent across all cultures. For instance, a traditional hunter-gatherer group from Australia, speaking the Umpila language, demonstrated exceptional proficiency in describing smells, challenging the notion that smell is universally the 'mute sense.'
Moreover, the research emphasizes that the ease of communication about taste varies across cultures. While English speakers face challenges in discussing basic tastes, speakers of Farsi and Lao exhibit near-perfect scores in identifying taste, reflecting cultural differences in engagement with cuisine.
Professor Majid emphasizes the importance of not assuming that understanding human functions in the context of the English language provides a universally relevant perspective. In a digitally dominated world that predominantly relies on sight and hearing, there's potential value in learning from other cultures regarding the communication of taste and smell.
The implications of this research extend to various professions, notably the food industry, where effective communication about taste and smell is crucial. The study, supported by the Max Planck Institute, is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), marking a significant contribution to our understanding of sensory perception across cultures.
