Yanny or Laurel, What Do You Hear: Gold/Blue Dress Debate of 2018

On this day, the internet stands divided. No, we’re not talking about some serious political debate but about a sound ambiguity.

A viral audio clip featuring a word being repeated has netizens divided: Is the word Yanny or Laurel?

What do you hear?! Yanny or Laurel pic.twitter.com/jvHhCbMc8I

— Cloe Feldman (@CloeCouture) May 15, 2018

Remember ‘The Dress’?

Every time a trend like this takes the internet by storm, the infamous black-blue/white-gold dress rises from its ashes. The viral image created a social media tsunami in 2015.

The trend is now officially known as ‘The Dress’ and has a Wikipedia page. Yes, even a dress has a Wikipedia page! What are you doing with your life? Oh wait... you’re sharing the memes that feed into the popularity of trends like ‘The Dress’.

Yanny/Laurel debate finna be the white & gold dress of 2018 🤯

— Lauren 💋 (@flannnnnnypack) May 16, 2018

Yanny or Laurel: Which Is It?

As in the case of ‘The Dress’, the internet cannot help talking about the audio clip.

It cannot possibly be anything other than #Laurel. My mom is adamant it's #Yanny. We both think the other is messing with us. #makeitstop

— Lauren (@ruineroffun) May 16, 2018

PS it’s CLEARLY Yanny don’t even THINK about @-ing me.

— Lauren Lopez (@LaurenLopez1) May 15, 2018

I hear “Yeahlly”, if that makes sense. Still much closer to Yanny than Laurel. I CAN’T hear Laurel no matter how hard I try.

— Lauren Meeler (@UnSweet_Me) May 15, 2018

All I hear is yanny! How the hell you guys here Lauren??? #Yanny

— tabiiseker (@mogguu) May 16, 2018

I’m afraid I’m going to start writing tmw and suddenly a random Laurel is going to appear in my next book. There will never be a Yanny, duh.

— Samira Ahmed (@sam_aye_ahm) May 16, 2018

While most can only hear one of the words, some ‘chosen ones’ can hear both.

I heard Yanny, then Laurel, now can alternate between hearing both 😳

— Lauren💫 (@lapall7) May 16, 2018

i can hear yanny and lauren that means i’m the chosen one

— tired kai (@kai_eats) May 16, 2018

Me: it’s definitely Yanny
Me to me: * Laurel

— Lauren Savage (@laurensavage_) May 16, 2018

Just Adjust the Bass, Bro!

A netizen has come up with a solution. According to Earth Vessel Quotes on Twitter, you can hear both the words if you just adjust the bass levels of the audio.

you can hear both when you adjust the bass levels: pic.twitter.com/22boppUJS1

— Earth Vessel Quotes (@earthvessquotes) May 15, 2018

However, it is definitely not a sure-shot solution, for many can still hear only one of the words.

I only hear Laurel

— thiccjakob (@RealSmexyLlama) May 16, 2018

All I hear is YANNY

— Alexis Lee♈ (@alexisleebih) May 16, 2018

Are You Crazy or Just Human?

Turns out that there can be many things wrong with you, but that comes with being human.

I fell asleep for like an hour and I woke up to a lauren/yanny revolution. I don't feel ready. Is this what naps do to our bodies?

— Scindia Rivera (@scindia_rivera) May 16, 2018

To make you feel better about being inherently flawed, here’s some scientific explanation.

According to an article in The Guardian, the Yanny/Laurel sound is an instance of “perceptually ambiguous stimulus,” much like the Necker cube or the face-vase illusion. The mind sees the stimulus in both ways and often flips back and forth between the two interpretations.

So, what do you hear, Laurel or Yanny? Tell us in the comments section.

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