Yanny Or Laurel: What Do You Hear?

Have you heard about the latest debate on social media? First it was the black and blue dress or the gold and white dress. Now it is Yanny or Laurel.Apparently people hear two different things in this audio clip posted by a fashion designer named Cloe Feldman. It seems like all of these social media debates have to do with fashion in some way...

This thing has seriously gone viral. You may have seen this on your timeline, but had no idea what they were talking about.  So here's the deal: there is a video where a computer-generated voice says one word.  And the word is either "Yanny" or "Laurel."   Some even hear both in this audio clip. People are legit arguing over what they hear!

I heard "Laurel" when I listened to it on my computer and on my phone. But there are reports of people hearing the audio differently through speakers and through headphones. So why is this even a debate? How can people hear "Yanny" and "Laurel" with the same piece of audio?

Apparently it all has to do with the audio frequencies. According to thetab.com, "If you're hearing 'Yanny' it just means your brain is more receptive to the higher audio frequencies and if you're hearing 'Laurel' you pick up on the lower frequencies." It seems that younger people are more likely to hear "Yanny," because that's what's coming through in higher frequencies that they can still hear.  You're also more likely to hear "Yanny" in bad speakers, because they don't handle lower frequencies so well.

Which confuses me because, I think I am "younger" and have good hearing. So why did I hear "Laurel"?! Should I get my hearing checked or am I just getting old?! Either way, the debate continues on social media. Try it out for yourself and tell us what you hear!

You can see how this came about in a video that Cloe Feldman posted on YouTube.