Do you hear YANNY?
Or LAUREL?
A recent Twitter poll found, that 47% of people hear "YANNY", while 53% hear "LAUREL"
Clearly this has created an internet argument that is dividing the nation
So what is the science behind the madness?
One of the first aspects is PRIMING
If you were to play this clip without providing the option of "YANNY" or "LAUREL,"
you may have heard neither of these words,
But by reading them, you're primed to hear one or the other.
Secondly when you speak you are producing sound waves, which propagate through the air
This is a visual depiction of the sound waves of the original YANNY/LAUREL recording
created by Brad Story, a Professor of Speech, Language, and Hearing
Here is the depiction of him saying "LAUREL"
You can see that the acoustic features are very similar
Here is a depiction of him saying "YANNY"
The acoustic features are also similar
So the words "YANNY" and "LAUREL" audibly are more similar than you might think
Whether you're listening on a laptop, phone or headphones
will influence what you hear based on sound quality
But what if you were listening through the same device but you hear different things with someone next to you?
It might have to do with the age of your ears
The sounds in "YANNY" play at a higher frequency than the sounds in "LAUREL"
As we age, our ears are less able to hear higher frequencies
So if you are hearing "YANNY", you might have younger ears
Luckily with the help of the internet, we can hear both
Brilliant twitter user @xxv posted audio of the pitch brought both down and up
When you listen to it brought down 30%, you will hear "YANNY"
"YANNY" (played twice)
But when you listen to it with the pitch brought up 30%, you will likely hear "LAUREL"
"LAUREL" (played twice)
Your brain has so much stimulus at all times that it uses existing information and precise neurological pathways to focus its attention
This is why at a loud party you can listen to your friend beside you
but pop your attention into another convo if need be
Similarly, your brain is unconsciously choosing which frequencies in the recording to pay attention to so
So... What is the final answer?
If you heard "LAUREL", you are correct! The original recording is saying LAUREL
but with higher frequencies overlaid, creating ambiguity
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