Which sense to lose first?

[speedog]

So I happened to observe a blind man in his 20-30's navigate his way WB on the north sidewalk of 16th Avenue NW from 10th to 12th Street. He had his long stock with a ball on the end (it no doubt has a real name) and it was quite amazing to watch him move along a successfully get around all obstacles in his way inclung a construction zone with cones on the sidewalk and temporary wood ramps.

This then got me a thinking as to which of the 5 basic senses I'd be willing to lose first. I have a profoundly deaf niece and deafness runs in the family and being deaf most definitely pits restrictions on one. Yes, one can succeed and pretty much live a normal.life but as a deaf person it'll always be a bit of a struggle to communicate with the masses lime most of us take for granted.

Anyhow, the 5 basic senses are considered sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell. I thought for a bit on this and the choice for me comes down to taste or smell as to which sense I would be willing to lose first and after more thought I decided taste would be the first choice for me.

Why taste over smell one might wonder but to me, I can always smell that turkey baking or fresh bread or a crisp autumn morning. Taste would be a loss but smell can compensate for taste more so than the other way around. Sight, hearing and touch most definitely would never be a first choice for me.

So a poll and let's see what other's thoughts are.

[jonsey737]

I'd have to go with taste I guess, it would still probably really suck but so much of the foods flavour we experience is from smell even if we don't realize it. Smell is also an important tool to keep you safe and alert you to danger (fire, gas leak etc.)

I recently had a chemical burn up my nose that basically destroyed my sense of smell for approximately 2 months. I lost 95% of my sense of smell and so I could only really sense the 5 basic taste types (sweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami) and food tasted horrible. If I lost my sense of smell or taste permanently I'd just drink soylent

[spikerS]

i decided on taste as well.

However, time awareness is often considered a 6th sense as well, which would be my first choice if it was on the list.

There is a lot of research into the senses and many researchers agree that there are 21 different and distinct senses outside of what is commonly known as the basic 5.

http://www.todayifoundout.com/index....n-five-senses/

[lilmira]

Common sense. Ignorant is a bliss.

[FixedGear]

Who voted for touch - you'd rather smell nastiness than have orgasms?

[ExtraSlow]

Taste and Smell are so closely intertwined. I know a guy who had some nasal surgery and has intermittent sense of smell for several years, although it seems ot be coming back. He was miserable about it.

I look at this question the other way, which of my sense cause me the most annoyance. Hearing has to be top of the list. Loud kids, loud places, crowded noisy places. I'd choose hearing.

[Swank]

I know a few people who lost some or all of their sense of smell and they don't really give a damn, so it seems pretty negligible compared to the others.

[Minimalist]

Negative poll. What sense are you wanting to improve?

[JRSC00LUDE]

Originally posted by spikerS
i decided on taste as well.

However, time awareness is often considered a 6th sense as well, which would be my first choice if it was on the list.

There is a lot of research into the senses and many researchers agree that there are 21 different and distinct senses outside of what is commonly known as the basic 5.

http://www.todayifoundout.com/index....n-five-senses/

Is annoyance one of those 21? Because that's what I'm feeling now.

[Dave P]

Can you lose your smell without it effecting your taste to some degree?

[flipstah]

Originally posted by Dave P
Can you lose your smell without it effecting your taste to some degree?

Those go hand-in-hand so unlikely. That's why there's ENT (Ear/Nose/Throat) doctors.

[Seth1968]

Originally posted by spikerS
However, time awareness is often considered a 6th sense as well, which would be my first choice if it was on the list.

Time is the perception between thoughts.

Without it, you'd be a zombie or explode

[tirebob]

I would rather give up taste than smell. I find smells generate a lot of random pleasant memories that taste does not. Besides... If I could taste my food I might actually be able to control my diet better. I LOVE to eat! lol!

Now if it was between sight and hearing, I might be in the minority where I think I would rather retain my hearing over my sight. I feel I could lead a more productive and satisfying life sightless than I could by losing my ability to hear and communicate as such. I may have to one day as macular degeneration runs heavy in my family. My grandfather, great uncle and great aunt all went blind from it. It happened over the course of less than a year for all of them at varying ages from the 50's to the 70's. Supposedly skips a generation as well so it land in my lap now. Only time will tell.

[JRSC00LUDE]

^

Use that time to research heavily into stem cell therapy for it then.

[C_Dave45]

Originally posted by tirebob
I would rather give up taste than smell. I find smells generate a lot of random pleasant memories that taste does not. Besides... If I could taste my food I might actually be able to control my diet better. I LOVE to eat! lol!

Hahaha...I'm like you! God how I love my food!
My wife has actually lost her sense of smell since our accident. I really feel for her, as SO many things are dependent on smell. When we went to San Diego this year she was in tears because she couldn't smell the ocean, which she absolutely loves.

As well, it's affected her taste. She gets me to taste test her cooking all the time because she can't taste it.

[pheoxs]

Smell > Taste > Touch > Hearing > Sight for me I think.

[NoPulp]

Taste/smell are too closely related. Without one, would the other not be compromised?

I voted hearing.

Eye sight and touch are #1 priorities for me, I couldn't imagine not having those.

[flipstah]

I picked sight over hearing, because I love music way too much.

Heightened sense of smell/taste would be good substitutes for visual dangers like fire/gas leaks as someone mentioned.

[shakalaka]

Yup taste...it would certainly assist in me not wanting to eat damn Pizza all the time.

[mr2mike]

Originally posted by flipstah
I picked sight over hearing, because I love music way too much.

How would you drive all your vehicles that you spend big $ fixing up?