Yanny or Laurel? It’s your brain not your ears that decides

As a speech scientist, I never thought I’d see so much excitement on social media about one tiny little word.

• Jennell Vick
• The Conversation

The clip, which went viral after being posted on Reddit, is polarizing listeners who hear a computer voice say either “Laurel” or “Yanny.” @AlexWelke tweeted, “This is the kinda stuff that starts wars.”

While I can’t prevent a war, I can explain some reasons why this sound file has created such a controversy.

Basically, the “word” relies on some tricks of acoustics.

Your brain, and…

• Yanny or Laurel…