How many sense organs does a person have and what is their role in understanding the world?

It is traditionally believed that humans have five senses. They were listed by the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle a little over three hundred years BC. Conservative supporters continue to adhere to his theory. However, modern physiologists and physicians argue that Aristotle’s list is far from complete.

So how many feelings do we really have? Experts cannot come to a consensus on this matter. Some argue that to the 5 all known, 4 more should be added. Others are ready to add 21 points to this list. And the bravest claim that their number is infinite.

What are sense organs

Because we have eyes, we have ears, a nose, a tongue and skin. We can feel colors, objects, tastes, voices and even smells.

This is the basis of survival, a well-known concept for everyone. They have a common name: Perceptual Senses.

Sense organs are a specific system that is a means of collecting information for the subject about the surrounding world and its other organs, in other words, from the internal and external environment of the body. However, in some animals the process of interaction of sense organs and even their list differ. Therefore, we specify the definition of the sensory organ system using the example of a person.

Human sense organs are a type of information channel, which is a set of receptors and part of the brain that are responsible for accepting various types of stimuli signaling from the environment. Therefore, the sense organs are also called the organs of perception.

Receptors of the sense organs belong to 2 groups:

• remote;
• contact

That is, some organs help a person perceive signals at a distance, for example, hearing, vision or smell; they are called remote. Others are responsible for physical touch: taste and touch. The former, to a certain extent, can replace the latter or vice versa. For example, an overdeveloped sense of hearing or touch, in its own way, can serve as a mechanism for communication with the environment, replacing a person's poorly developed vision.

In other words, a person receives information through the senses, which are subsequently responsible for the internal environment of the body and are a kind of regulator of its activity. Of course, a person could not exist independently without the entire list of organs. Imagine if you had no idea where you were, felt no tastes, smells or heard sounds.

The sense organs contain receptors as well as auxiliary systems. For example, the organ of vision includes the eyelids, eyelashes and lacrimal glands, which are responsible for the protective function, and the most important thing is the eyeball, which contains visual receptors.

Sense organs are also characterized by anatomical formations that react to the energy of external factors and transform it into a reflex impulse, and then send this signal to the corresponding parts of the brain.

The sense organs are directly responsible for the perception of both internal and external factors. But the analysis process occurs directly in the cerebral cortex of the very anterior (terminal) part of the brain, where the received signals are received along nerve endings that connect all the sense organs with the leading nervous system. In fact, this process is more complex and consists not only of the indicated stages; we will analyze it in more detail below.

That is, due to the ability to perceive surrounding factors, a person can further analyze and evaluate them. For example, you try a dish in a restaurant: first you bring the food to your mouth and, therefore, your nose, perceive its smell, analyze this stimulus and evaluate this sensation, then put the food in your mouth and perception occurs, and then analyze its taste properties. As a result, you give a comprehensive assessment of these two sensations.

To summarize, the senses react to air vibrations, light impulses, tiny particles of substances in the air and signal this to our brain. And the brain, in turn, processes the information received. All these processes are called in one word - sensations.

What is the process of influencing the senses ? This process has several names, such as: an external impulse, a signal from the environment, but the most basic name is an irritant. This word is used repeatedly in this article, but this term should not be regarded as something negative. The irritant is a delicious food you eat, a beautiful picture you see, a pleasant aroma you smell, your favorite song you listen to, or the bedding you touch.

Thus, with the help of sensations, we receive the necessary information about the environment around us. We tried to explain this issue as clearly as possible and using simple examples. Let's now take a closer look at how many sense organs a person has and which of them is responsible for what.

Table of human feelings and emotions

And I also want to show you a collection of feelings, emotions, states that a person experiences during his life - a generalized table that does not pretend to be scientific, but will help you better understand yourself. The table was taken from the website “Communities of Addicted and Codependent”, author - Mikhail.

All human feelings and emotions can be divided into four types. These are fear, anger, sadness and joy. You can find out what type a particular feeling belongs to from the table.

And for those who read the article to the end. The purpose of this article is to help you understand your feelings and what they are. Our feelings largely depend on our thoughts. Irrational thinking is often at the root of negative emotions. By correcting these mistakes (working on our thinking), we can be happier and achieve more in life. There is interesting, but persistent and painstaking work to be done on oneself. You are ready?

Source

And yet how many are there?

What sense organs do people use to perceive information? According to Aristotle's conclusions, it is believed that we have 5 main senses:

1. Vision - the eyeballs, eyelids and eyelashes, which process all visual input.
2. Hearing - auditory receptors in the ears that detect sound vibrations.
3. The sense of touch is receptors on the skin that are responsible for the sensations that arise when touching any object, as well as vibrations in the air.
4. The sense of smell is the receptors in the nose that detect different odors.
5. Taste - responsible for the taste buds located in the tongue.

Human sense organs

As we discussed earlier, all organs are divided into two types: remote and contact. The first include:

• vision;
• hearing;
• sense of smell.

All stimuli from the surrounding world passing through these sense organs are perceived by the subject remotely. In the process of these influences, certain analytical chains are built. The corresponding areas of the brain reproduce the image, analyze and evaluate what they see.

The second (contact) - they are also called tactile in connection with the structure of interaction. These include:

• taste;
• touch.

Since the primary stage of processing the information received is carried out by the brain directly through direct contact.

However, many scientists argue on this topic, believing that the number of sense organs in a person is 9 elements, not 5. But this hypothesis has not been well developed and has not been confirmed in any way, so we will list them for general information, but you should not assume that the data human properties are directly related to such a term as the sense organ of perception. According to some scientists, in addition to the main ones, the sense organs are:

• Proprioception - in other words, body awareness. That is, determining where our body parts are located, even in cases where we are not able to feel or see them. For example, try closing your eyes and moving your hand in front of your face - you will have a rough idea of ​​how far your palm or finger is from your face.
• Equibrioception is a sense of balance that is established by special cavities with fluids located in our inner ear area.
• Thermoception is the sensation of heat or cold on a person's skin.
• Nociception is the feeling of painful stimuli by the skin, joints and organs of the body. However, this cohort does not include brain regions. That is, headaches come directly from inside the brain.

Let us repeat once again that these conclusions are poorly illuminated and have virtually no evidence base. Moreover, as you yourself may have noticed, each of the indicated so-called additional sense organs can be classified as the main ones.

Equibrioception to the organ of hearing, thermoception and nocioception to the organ of touch. As for proprioception, we can assume that, in principle, it is not directly related to any organ, but is a combination of factors, human analysis and perception.

Because such a “trick” can be performed not only with a hand and face, but, for example, with a hand and an object standing in front of you. For example, the phone or computer through which you are now reading this article. If you have a phone, place it on the table or sofa. Close your eyes and extend your hand towards it, you will also have a rough understanding of the location of your hand and a third-party object, just as you did with your face.

Now imagine that you are taken into a dark room and you have no idea what is where. You wouldn't be able to pull off the same trick due to spatial disorientation. Therefore, if we were not able to remember where our body parts are located, we would also have no idea where and what part is currently located in relation to another.

We looked at what belongs to the five senses in humans. Let's discuss in more detail what sensations a person experiences through the senses, using the example of each of them.

Does the person still have feelings?

Of course have. And many of them are familiar to you.

For example, a feeling of hunger, thirst, full bladder, intestines.

Sense of time or chronoception. Neurologist David Eagleman considers it one of the most important. It connects other sensations with each other and helps to understand their sequence. Without it, it would seem to a person that events were all happening at the same time. Doctors have not found receptors responsible for chronoception in the human body. But research shows that this sensation affects several areas of the brain.

A person also has many unconscious reactions. We simply don’t notice them, since the body itself recognizes the signals from the receptors and starts vital processes: it controls the breathing rate, the pH level in the cerebrospinal fluid, and carbon dioxide in the blood.

We must not forget about the notorious “sixth sense”. You can believe in it or not, but there is hardly a person who can confidently deny its existence. After all, there are many cases where people, for unknown reasons, handed over tickets for a plane that subsequently crashed, or left the house a minute before a gas explosion.

What about mental pain? We almost physically feel it in the solar plexus area when tragic events or major troubles occur in our lives.

Where does all the information from the senses flow?

As we previously found out, a person perceives and processes information from the senses and analyzed the process of perception of each organ. Let's look at this action comprehensively.

All receptors are responsible for the perception of specific stimuli, reacting to each impulse in their own way. Then all the information from the sense organs enters the intermediate sections of the analyzers, which are formed by nerve fibers located in the spinal cord, as well as in the brain stem region.

From this area, the signal passes to the central section of the analyzers, that is, to the telencephalon. This is where the assessment and integrity of the nervous excitation begins as a result of the perception of an impulse by the senses. To summarize, the stimulus passes through 3 groups of departments:

• superficial;
• intermediate;
• central.

They, in turn, are firmly connected to each other and are an integral system. Let's discuss a very important issue, how to protect the senses.

How to take care of them

Hygiene of the sense organs greatly influences their development and health. There is a list of basic rules that must be followed to protect your receptors and analyzers. Let's look at them for each organ.

Vision

To maintain the normal condition of your eyes, you should:

• use good lighting for reading;
• no smoking;
• Healthy food;
• visit an ophthalmologist at least once a year;
• if your doctor has recommended that you wear glasses or contacts, do not ignore these recommendations;
• lenses or glasses require appropriate care and timely replacement;
• moderate communication with gadgets - no more than 5 hours a day;
• daily eye exercises.

If you follow these simple instructions, you can maintain your good vision or even improve it. It should also be taken into account that vision may deteriorate due to natural trauma. Therefore, do not ignore protective equipment such as glasses or a mask if you work in a factory with welding or machine tools, etc., and also try to avoid contact with bright lights.

Taste

The tongue is a very elastic muscle and one of the strongest in the body. The shell of the tongue is very rough, due to the fact that there are many small papillae on it, which serve as receptors that recognize the taste of food. These receptors are divided into several types, each of which performs its own function:

• mushroom-shaped;
• threadlike;
• groove-shaped;
• conical;
• leaf-shaped.

Here is a list of rules on how to protect each of them:

• wash your hands before eating;
• Drinking hot food or liquid is prohibited;
• do not talk while eating, so as not to accidentally damage the receptors;
• Before eating food, make sure that it does not contain dangerous ingredients, for example, small seeds.

Smell

With the help of our nose we can not only smell pleasant smells. This body also warns us about various threats, such as gas leaks or fires. Therefore, care for this organ should not be neglected. Here is a list of recommendations:

• smoking or passive perception of such an irritant contributes to a deterioration in the sense of smell;
• Dust is very harmful to the nose, so you should carry out wet cleaning and ventilation of the rooms in which you are daily;
• Avoid contact with strong odors, especially from small containers (the smaller the container, the more particles accumulate in it).

Hearing

In order to protect your hearing, you need to follow 3 rules:

• you should not listen to loud music;
• try to clean your ears daily using cotton swabs and rinse them with water;
• Do not use sharp objects to clean your ears, otherwise there is a risk of tearing the membrane.

Touch

The skin has the main function of protecting most internal organs from external irritants. Thanks to the skin, we distinguish between heat and cold, and also feel pain. How to protect it?

• try to wash every day;
• make sure your clothes are clean;
• you should also not buy low quality clothes;
• It is prohibited to touch unfamiliar plants and street animals.

By following these rules, you can keep all your senses in good condition.

Notes

We examined the number of sense organs in humans, their names and functions, as well as a holistic reflection of the objects that affect them. In conclusion, we would like to answer the questions that are most often asked on this topic.

The largest sensory organ in humans

The largest sensory organ is the skin. If you examine the skin particles under a microscope, it looks completely different. When you zoom in 500 times, you can see that our skin tissue is a layer of non-living cells, on top of which many tubercles and holes are formed.

If a person could shed his skin like a snake or spider, and then stretch it along the entire perimeter, then its diameter would be approximately 5,000 - 5,500 square meters. However, its thickness reaches no more than a couple of millimeters, as a result its average weight is about 3 kilograms.

Also, skin tissue is constantly growing, that is, new cells appear, which suggests that all cells cannot be dead. If we return to the experiment with a microscope and zoom in another 15 - 20%, we will notice that dead cells are continuously divided into several parts, from which new ones are reproduced.

What sense organs are best developed in humans?

By and large, it all depends on many factors, maintaining health, work, sleep, and so on. These processes occur differently for each person. This question can also be considered in reverse, which organs are developed the worst. For example, for me personally, due to my profession: SEO copywriting, my vision clearly “lags behind” other organs.

Unfortunately, there is practically no accurate information about the most developed organ in humans. However, according to some doctors and professors, the most important organ should be the most developed. In most people, the skin, that is, the organ of touch, prevails. In principle, if you think about it, this is quite logical. Imagine being locked in a dark room in which you can’t see anything at all. It would be possible to do without hearing, sight, smell and taste in such a situation, but not without touch.

But many scientists argue that vision plays a more important role than touch in everyday life, arguing in reverse about which organ is most difficult for a person to live without in everyday life.

We tried to give the most detailed and detailed information about what the sense organs are and what functions they perform. If you have not found an answer to your question or have difficulty understanding any terms, write to us in the comments and we will certainly answer you. We will also be very interested in which sense organ in your opinion is the most important for a person.

Fundamental Emotions

All human emotions can be distinguished by the quality of experience. This aspect of human emotional life is most clearly presented in the theory of differential emotions by the American psychologist K. Izard. He identified ten qualitatively different “fundamental” emotions: interest-excitement, joy, surprise, grief-suffering, anger-rage, disgust-disgust, contempt-disdain, fear-horror, shame-shyness, guilt-remorse. K. Izard classifies the first three emotions as positive, the remaining seven as negative. Each of the fundamental emotions underlies a whole spectrum of conditions that vary in degree of expression. For example, within the framework of such a unimodal emotion as joy, one can distinguish joy-satisfaction, joy-delight, joy-jubilation, joy-ecstasy and others. From the combination of fundamental emotions, all other, more complex, complex emotional states arise. For example, anxiety can combine fear, anger, guilt and interest.

1. Interest is a positive emotional state that promotes the development of skills and knowledge. Interest-excitement is a feeling of capture, curiosity.

2. Joy is a positive emotion associated with the opportunity to sufficiently fully satisfy an actual need, the probability of which was previously small or uncertain. Joy is accompanied by self-satisfaction and satisfaction with the world around us. Obstacles to self-realization are also obstacles to the emergence of joy.

3. Surprise - an emotional reaction to sudden circumstances that does not have a clearly defined positive or negative sign. Surprise inhibits all previous emotions, directing attention to a new object and can turn into interest.

4. Suffering (grief) is the most common negative emotional state associated with receiving reliable (or seeming) information about the impossibility of satisfying the most important needs, the achievement of which previously seemed more or less likely. Suffering has the character of an asthenic emotion and more often occurs in the form of emotional stress. The most severe form of suffering is grief associated with irretrievable loss.

5. Anger is a strong negative emotional state, often occurring in the form of affect; arises in response to an obstacle in achieving passionately desired goals. Anger has the character of a sthenic emotion.

6. Disgust is a negative emotional state caused by objects (objects, people, circumstances), contact with which (physical or communicative) comes into sharp conflict with the aesthetic, moral or ideological principles and attitudes of the subject. Disgust, when combined with anger, can motivate aggressive behavior in interpersonal relationships. Disgust, like anger, can be directed toward oneself, lowering self-esteem and causing self-judgment.

7. Contempt is a negative emotional state that arises in interpersonal relationships and is generated by a mismatch in the life positions, views and behavior of the subject with those of the object of feeling. The latter are presented to the subject as base, not corresponding to accepted moral standards and ethical criteria. A person is hostile to someone he despises.

8. Fear is a negative emotional state that appears when the subject receives information about possible damage to his life well-being, about a real or imaginary danger. In contrast to suffering caused by direct blocking of the most important needs, a person, experiencing the emotion of fear, has only a probabilistic forecast of possible trouble and acts on the basis of this forecast (often insufficiently reliable or exaggerated). The emotion of fear can be both sthenic and asthenic in nature and occur either in the form of stressful conditions, or in the form of a stable mood of depression and anxiety, or in the form of affect (horror).

9. Shame is a negative emotional state, expressed in the awareness of the inconsistency of one’s own thoughts, actions and appearance not only with the expectations of others, but also with one’s own ideas about appropriate behavior and appearance.

10. Guilt is a negative emotional state, expressed in the awareness of the unseemlyness of one’s own actions, thoughts or feelings and expressed in regret and repentance.