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 x2

But when you listen to it with the pitch brought up 30%, you will likely hear Laurel

Laurel x2

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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