How We Experience Our World

Sniffing out expired food, looking both ways before crossing the street, and recoiling from a hot stove to prevent a burn, your senses are always hard at work. Taste, smell, hearing, vision, and touch all work together to help you survive, communicate, and understand the world around you. Every time you open your eyes, there’s a relay race going on in your brain, converting the light into electrical signals the brain can decode. Similar races occur as sounds, chemicals in the air and food, and physical sensations make their way through the brain so you can experience your external world.

Click on the targets below to learn more about how your senses work.

About the Author

Hannah Zuckerman

Hannah is the former Production and Editorial Associate for BrainFacts.org. She graduated from Bryn Mawr College in 2014 with a degree in history. She previously worked at Princeton University Press and the art magazine Sculpture.