What are the five senses?
The five traditional senses are sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. Scientists now recognize several more, including balance and the sense of body position.
The list of five senses goes back to the Greek philosopher Aristotle. Each sense uses special receptors. The eyes detect light, the ears detect sound waves, the nose detects chemicals in the air, the tongue detects chemicals in food and the skin detects pressure, vibration and texture. The brain combines these signals to build a picture of the world.
Taste and smell work closely together. Much of what we call flavor actually comes from smell, which is why food seems bland when you have a blocked nose. The tongue detects five basic tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami, a savory taste found in foods like broth and cheese.
More than five
Other senses include balance, controlled by the inner ear, and proprioception, which tells you where your body parts are without looking. We also sense temperature, pain and internal signals such as hunger and thirst. Depending on how they are counted, scientists list anywhere from about 9 to more than 20 senses.
Did You Know?
Touch is the first sense to develop. Babies in the womb respond to touch as early as about eight weeks into pregnancy.
This answer is general information, not medical advice. For a personal health question, talk to a doctor.