SOMETHING NEW TO ARGUE ABOUT: Does the Robot Say Yanny or Laurel?

People on the Internet have to argue about unimportant stuff, and today, the newest thing is wether the voice of a robot says “Yanny” or “Laurel”. Listen for yourself: (The player might take a few seconds to load)

The explanation:

Raul Veiga, CEO of production company Radial Producoes, said it’s an example of the McGurk Effect — when you hear something different from the actual sound because of visual stimulus.

“So…it’s actually a very poor quality recording and the brain gets influenced by what you read first, before you actually hear it. What gets people confused is that it’s not Yanny or Laurel, it’s more of a YAREL thing,” he said.

The device you’re using to listen it on can also have an effect.

“Different speakers or headphones can have drastically different frequency response profiles (for instance, laptop speakers have limited low frequency response), which will lead to either name being more emphasized to a listener,” Poppy Crum, chief scientist at Dolby Laboratories, said in a statement.

Yep, just like that blue or gold dress from a few years ago. Sigh.