One of the most striking and significant examples of the influence of perception on everyday life is the depth, comprehensiveness, objectivity, and speed of cognition of another person due to certain objective and subjective characteristics. Most often, the perception of other people is based only on assumed qualities, impressions, interpretation, and evaluation of motives of behavior. For example, a person may unknowingly compare an acquaintance with a public figure or first love, as well as evaluate other external elements: a slovenly dressed and bearded man is a programmer, a girl wears glasses – she is a scientist or a nerd.
Another example is the perception of tastes depending on the language a person speaks. It is known that the visual, auditory, gustatory, tactile, or olfactory way of perception differs markedly in different cultures. This is primarily reflected in the native language. For example, native speakers of Lao or Persian, after drinking bittersweet water, will describe it only as “bitter”. On the contrary, the British are more likely to describe it as “bitter, salty, sour, not bad, devoid of taste, mint.” Representatives of some cultures may find it difficult to explain some tastes because there are not enough words for their names in their language.
Moreover, the phenomenon of the perception of sounds evoking memories or feelings can be cited as an example. This indicates a close connection between the organs of hearing and the brain. For instance, fixed memories and perceptions helped the composer Beethoven compose music after he completely lost his hearing at the age of 44. These can be the sounds of transport, ventilation systems, music, conversations, and laughter of people passing by. Some sounds evoke pleasant associations, for example, the sound of a coffee machine, while others carry negative meaning, such as the sound of an alarm clock in the morning.