In 2018, a short audio clip split the world into two camps. One side heard a voice saying “Yanny,” while others swore they heard “Laurel.” Families, classrooms, and even scientists argued over what was correct.
Here’s the twist: everyone was right. The now-famous recording contained both words layered across different frequencies. What you heard wasn’t just about the sound itself, but about how your brain interprets it.
This viral mystery opened a fascinating window into how hearing, perception, and even technology influence what we believe is “real.”
Frequency Sensitivity: Why Hearing Range Changes the Word
Sound is made up of vibrations, measured in frequency (Hertz). The “Yanny/Laurel” clip contains energy in both high and low frequency ranges.
- “Yanny” exists mainly in the higher frequencies (around 2,000–8,000 Hz).
- “Laurel” is strongest in lower frequencies (about 400–1,000 Hz).
If your ears are more sensitive to higher pitches, common in younger people, you’ll likely hear Yanny. If your hearing leans toward lower tones, which is typical as we age, Laurel will dominate.
Our ears naturally decline in high-frequency sensitivity over time. That’s why a teenager and a parent can listen to the same clip and argue endlessly; each is physically tuned to different parts of the sound spectrum.
In short, what you hear depends on how your auditory system filters frequencies.
The Brain Doesn’t Just Hear, It Interprets
Hearing isn’t only about the ears. It’s about how the brain processes sound. When you listen to something ambiguous, your brain makes a best guess based on patterns, memory, and context.
This process is known as auditory perception, which explains why two people can perceive the same tone differently.
When you play the “Yanny/Laurel” clip, your brain receives overlapping signals. Because both sounds are embedded in the same recording, your brain must choose which one to focus on. It filters out the rest so that you hear a single, stable word.
This happens constantly in daily life. Imagine hearing someone speak in a noisy restaurant, your brain picks out familiar voices and fills in missing words. The “Yanny/Laurel” illusion is just that process, exaggerated.
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Context and Expectation: The Power of Suggestion
What you expect to hear often determines what you actually hear. This is known as top-down processing, where your brain uses context to interpret sensory input.
If someone tells you, “Listen carefully, the word is Yanny,” your brain automatically primes itself to detect those sounds. If you read the word Laurel first, your perception shifts toward that version.
It’s the same psychological mechanism behind optical illusions like “The Dress” (blue/black or white/gold). In both cases, the brain fills in missing data to create order from chaos.
Your brain, in essence, is constantly predicting reality. It isn’t wrong, just doing its job to simplify a complex sensory world.
Technology Shapes What You Hear
The device you used to play the clip also plays a major role. Audio systems emphasize different frequency bands:
- Smartphones and earbuds often boost treble (high frequencies) → you’re more likely to hear Yanny.
- Speakers or laptops tend to enhance bass (low frequencies) → Laurel becomes clearer.
Compression from social media platforms like Twitter or TikTok further distorts certain ranges, unintentionally tipping the balance toward one word or the other.
So, your perception isn’t just biological, it’s partly technological.
Quick Comparison Table
| Factor | “Yanny” Hearers | “Laurel” Hearers |
| Dominant Frequencies | 2,000–8,000 Hz | 400–1,000 Hz |
| Typical Age Group | Younger listeners | Older listeners |
| Device Bias | Phones, earbuds | Speakers, monitors |
| Brain Tendency | Prefers sharp, high tones | Focuses on warm, low tones |
This table shows there’s no “wrong” answer, just different physiological and environmental conditions.
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Neuroscience: Why Your Brain Can’t Hear Both
Auditory illusions like this highlight a deeper truth: the brain prefers certainty over ambiguity. When faced with conflicting sensory data, it commits to one interpretation.
Inside your head, the auditory cortex filters frequencies, the temporal lobe processes language, and the prefrontal cortex decides what seems logical. The result? A single, confident perception, Yanny or Laurel, even though both sounds exist simultaneously.
The illusion works so well because your mind refuses to hold two opposing interpretations at once. It chooses one reality and discards the rest.
The Bigger Lesson: Reality Is Filtered
The “Yanny/Laurel” debate is more than an internet fad; it serves as a reminder that perception is not always perfect.
Everything we experience is filtered through:
- Biology (hearing range and frequency sensitivity)
- Experience (what our brains expect to hear)
- Technology (how audio is produced and played)
Our version of reality is personal. It’s shaped by countless micro-decisions the brain makes every second.
As neuroscientist Beau Lotto put it, “We don’t see, or hear the world as it is. We see it as we are.”
Why It Captivated Millions
The viral success of “Yanny vs Laurel” wasn’t an accident. It had all the elements of perfect shareable science:
- A simple test everyone could try instantly
- A sense of mystery that demanded explanation
- Equal validity on both sides, making debate irresistible
Even today, the clip continues to fascinate psychologists and sound engineers because it demonstrates how easily perception can diverge.
Final Takeaway
So, why do people hear “Yanny” while others hear “Laurel”?
Hearing is a complex science that combines physics, biology, and psychology.
Every time you press play, your ears capture the same vibrations, but your brain, and even your device, shape how those vibrations become meaning.
There’s no right answer, just proof that the human mind filters the world in remarkable, invisible ways.
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