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If you asked the average person what senses they have, they would list out the same five senses that have been known for thousands of years, sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. These senses are the main ways that we learn about the surrounding world and can navigate ourselves through it.
These five senses have been talked about at least as far back as Aristotle, but it is almost certain that scientists and philosophers before that discussed them as well.
While those senses aren’t really questioned, many modern philosophers and scientists say that we actually have many other senses that we use on a regular basis. They are less known either because they are lumped in with another sense (such as being able to sense pressure being added to the sense of touch) or because they are much weaker than the other senses.
When you look closely at the various ways that humans take in information from the surrounding environment, however, it is hard to argue with the fact that our senses go well beyond just the five traditional ones.
The following are just a few examples of other senses that humans have:
- Introspection – This is a set of ‘senses’ where your body communicates your internal needs like hunger, thirst, heart rate, and respiratory activity. Even if you don’t actively ‘feel’ it, your body is sensing an internal condition and your brain is sending signals to keep things in line with how they should be.
- Equilibrioception – This is the sense of balance that allows you to hop, stand on one foot, or even navigate a narrow passage without falling.
- Thermoception – This is the ability to differentiate between hot and cold.
- Proprioception – The ability to know the position of our bodies, even if we can’t see it. For example, you know where your hand is located even in pitch darkness.
- Chronoception – The ability to sense the passage of time.
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Some people would also add in ‘sixth senses’ that are more paranormal in nature such as telepathy, psychic abilities, and more. While these are far from proven, there is a growing body of evidence that humans do have a least some type of weak sense that goes beyond what is commonly understood.
On top of that, one might look at the animal kingdom to see a variety of other senses that humans may have in weaker forms. For example, many animals have something called magnetoreception, which is the ability to navigate great distances using the magnetic North pole as guidance. Some people have a good sense of direction, which may be a weaker form of this same thing.
So, while it is common knowledge that humans have just five senses, that is almost certainly not true. Humans seem to have many senses, many of which are still not well understood.
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