Why some people can hear this silent GIF

Why some people can hear this silent GIF(bbc.co.uk)

58 points by karlb 8 years ago | 17 comments

brudgers 8 years ago |

I hear it. In my case, I suspect it is a trained response rather than a mysterious neurological phenomenon. [1] Motion picture sound effects synchronize distant events such as explosions with the sound of explosions. When I am looking at a screen simultaneous audible and visual experience is what I have come to expect based on experience. A delay when watching a screen would seem unnatural.

One reason I expect it is a unique response to images on screen is that I don't find anything odd about the thunder coming well after the lightening in the real world, but a six second delay would be odd in a movie.

[1]: other than the mysterious neurological phenomenon of the human brain constructing mental experiences from sensory input.

vamin 8 years ago |

I'll propose a theory: very loud, low frequency sounds actually create small vibrations in your eyes, and most brains have learned to pipe this sensory input to the auditory cortex. So, the shake in the GIF triggers a "sound" through your eyes.

pb060 8 years ago | |

It could also be the tensor tympani muscle tightening in response to a visual event that would normally be accompanied by an extremely loud noise.

Flenser 8 years ago | | |

That's also my theory. I can do it at-will by tensing my jaw muscles and I hear a "thudding" vibration sound. (Although I wouldn't have known what the name of the muscle is until your post.)

Flenser 8 years ago |

I suspect it's due to people tensing their lower jaw in anticipation of a loud sound. I can do this at-will, and I hear something that I would describe in similar terms. I also triggered/heard it the first time I watched the animation (and I don't think I did it deliberately, although I was expecting it to happen).

My theory is that it's due to the jaw muscles vibrating when they tense, so an entirely physical sound conducted through the jaw/skull; rather than a neurological sound. I expect if you stuck a sensitive enough microphone in my ear, it would be audible.

koliber 8 years ago | |

It may not even be tensing of your jaw.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoustic_reflex

Maybe this GIF is causing this reflex to fire. In the absence of the loud anticipated sound, your brain may be interpreting the flexing itself as a sound.

Flenser 8 years ago | | |

Yes. I expect that's it. I think the jaw tensing may be a side-effect of how I get that to happen.

jakeogh 8 years ago |

I dont see a gif in this mess of JS. Anyone have a direct link?

earenndil 8 years ago | |

https://i.imgur.com/ga7w2z3.gif

jakeogh 8 years ago | | |

(extracted from that!) https://i.imgur.com/ga7w2z3.gifv

ah. thanks! very cool. I also 'hear' a 'boom/crunch/heavy thing dropped" sound when it lands, almost for sure due to the camera shake confirming to my brain the (absurd given the distance and mass!) expectation that the ground moved. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synesthesia

How is it a firefox request for https://i.imgur.com/ga7w2z3.gif ends up returning html, from which I extracted that gifv link, but a python request directly for https://i.imgur.com/ga7w2z3.gif ends up with the correct resource (sha1: f1f24ca2629ed88ee430eba90429fef2a4abc560)?

imgur....

karlb 8 years ago |

I suspect the phenomenon is explained by the Predictive Processing model (which is explained well here: http://slatestarcodex.com/2017/09/05/book-review-surfing-unc...)

sogen 8 years ago | |

Thanks, Rick Astley's meme also helps to explain things such as hearing Professor Farnsworth (Futurama) when looking at his memes

Santosh83 8 years ago |

Can't 'hear' anything. I guess human beings are more varied than we seem at first sight.

westmeal 8 years ago |

I do hear a thud but it's definitely not loud.

dimpadumpa 8 years ago |

Only oddity in BBC's phenomenon is they forced TV license, that they forcing people to pay who do not tv ?? - Can anybody explain that ??

AimHere 8 years ago | |

Uh, the TV licence covers people who watch live TV broadcasts in the UK (including watching the internet simulcast of said broadcasts and using the BBC's iPlayer catchup service).

If your household isn't doing any of that, you don't need a TV license. The license is basically a tax on watching TV that funds the BBC. What more explanation do you need?