Atlantica - 01.09.2007, Side 16

14 a t l a n t i c a
Jonas Moody: People develop affinities for some
strange things nowadays… computers, minke whales,
peanut butter and pickle sandwiches. But numbers?
Daniel Tammet: I have a very emotional
relationship with numbers. For most people, numbers
are just squiggles on a page. For me they’re much
more dynamic and visual. So when I think about
numbers it’s immediately an emotional experience,
and a visual one that involves me and interests me. It
has always been that way. Since I was very small.
JM: I’m not saying that there aren’t mathematicians
and accountants out there who share your passion, but
you go a step further. You have an actual emotional
response to digits. From zero to 10,000 you claim that
each number has a distinctive shape and feel.
DT: It’s difficult for me to understand when people
say, “Oh! I hate numbers. I can’t do any calculations
at all. I have to use a calculator for everything.” I
think, wow, you’re missing out on a lot. Numbers are
everywhere. Barcodes and telephones. If you don’t
have any connection with them whatsoever then it’s a
big part of the world you’re missing.
JM: Are you the only one in your family with a
penchant for numbers?
DT: My brother also has synesthesia. When he
plays guitar and plays a note he will see the color
orange, for example. He associates happiness with
the color orange. It’s your ability to associate emotions
with things you wouldn’t normally associate emotions
Daniel Tammet is a number lover. The British autistic savant’s unique knack for mental calculations is the result of a rare condition called
synesthesia, in which he experiences numbers as colors, sensations and even landscapes. For Tammet, the number pi holds untold
beauty. Well, almost untold. Unlike many autistics, Tammet, 28, retains the ability to converse, and you might be surprised to
learn that English and arithmetic aren’t the only languages he speaks fluently.
Easy as Pi
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By Jonas Moody