DEBATE continues to rage online over whether or not a sound clip says ‘Yanny’ or ‘Laurel’.
In scenes similar to the black and blue v white and gold dress debacle of a few years ago, people are divided over what the audio, taken from an online dictionary, actually sounds like.
Some are adamant it’s ‘Yanny’, others reckon it’s ‘Laurel’.
But while this particular clip continues to be the centre of attention, another more mysterious one has emerged.
A new teaser incredibly gives you a CHOICE about what you’re hearing.
The video shows a toy which lights up and says “brainstorm”, but many have said if you think of the words “green needle” as you watch you can hear that instead.
Watch it below to see for yourself…
The intriguing clip was taken from a YouTube video from 2014 by DosmRider, a reviewer of collectables, but was shared on Reddit before exploding and going viral across social media platforms.
“The toy is supposed to say Brainstorm,” DosmRider told the Press Association. “It’s the character’s name in the show Ben 10 Alien Force and the name is used in all the merchandise and the show.
“I first saw (the clip) was being used when it was brought to my attention by some of my followers on Twitter.
“I was pretty surprised given that I usually don’t see any toy reviews or anything like that getting this kind of attention – just seems hilariously random to me.”
The Yanny v Laurel debate explained
Even the White House has gotten in on this viral phenomenon, with a video showing presidential aides, as well as Mike Pence and Donald Trump, giving their verdicts.
Donald Trump unsurprisingly picks neither, saying ‘I heard covfefe’ instead, in reference to his famous Twitter typo.
One scientific explanation given for the phenomenon was that individuals’ ears picked up different frequencies, with one word, “yanny”, at a higher pitch than the other, “laurel”.
What do you hear?! Yanny or Laurel pic.twitter.com/jvHhCbMc8I
— Cloe Feldman (@CloeCouture) May 15, 2018
Professor of speech Valerie Hazan added: “It is also the case that you are priming people to hear one word or another by telling them what the options are so that will also push them to perceive things they may not have without prompting.”
This nature of priming one’s brain to hear something appears to be the case with this new phenomenon, with the action of thinking of the phrase “green needle” making you hear it.
YouTubers ASAPScience posted an excellent explanation of this, the principles of which can be applied to the new clip.
“I heard Laurel,” said DosmRider. “This debate really amused me, mainly just to see people stop what they are doing to discuss something funny like this so seriously.”
Reddit user squidjeep posted the clip from DosmRider’s video to Reddit, where it first went viral.
“These videos do well on the internet because it’s really cool to see how people’s brains work,” they said. “People can be given similar inputs yet interpret them in such different ways.”
“I only heard yanny once at the beginning and then heard laurel very clearly each time after which was really weird.
“The brainstorm/green needle thing is even weirder though because it turns two syllables into three, and the words have completely different inflections too and you can change it at will just based on what you think about.”
Enjoy the convenience of having The Sunday Post delivered as a digital ePaper straight to your smartphone, tablet or computer.
Subscribe for only £5.49 a month and enjoy all the benefits of the printed paper as a digital replica.
Subscribe