*By Alisha Haridasani*
It’s the most divisive question since the blue and black dress (or was it white and gold?!): Do you hear Yanny or Laurel?
Technically, the answer is "Laurel." But some people swear it's "Yanny."
The question, which is ripping the internet apart, revolves around an audio clip [reportedly](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/15/science/yanny-laurel.html) posted on Reddit by a student who found it on a vocabulary website when researching a school project under the word "laurel." The clip went viral, leaving many listeners questioning what they heard ー and maybe their sanity.
The discrepancy in what people hear could be due to circumstance, said Brad Story, professor of speech, language, and hearing at the University of Arizona.
“It really is going to depend on the information that you have in terms of your bias toward listening to it at that moment in time," said Story. "That’s what we call ‘top-down information’ ー trying to make sense of any kind of pattern that's present.”
The two words share very similar acoustic characteristics that your brain could selectively hear it one way or the other, he said.
The bass, frequency, and volume of the audio clip can also influence what someone hears. Some people posted videos on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/JFLivesay/status/996585941241401346) where the audio levels were adjusted, changing how the clip could be heard.
So, whatever the *technical* answer to the question is, in reality, it can be both.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/yanny-vs-laurel).
Maxine Williams, Chief Global Diversity Officer at Facebook, discusses what the social network is doing to celebrate International Women's Day in 2018. Last year, International Women's Day was the number one most discussed event on Facebook.
Robbie Kaplan, Co-Founder of the TIME'S UP Legal Defense Fund joins The Hive to discuss where the fund stands today and what her hopes are for the future of women empowerment.
Etsy is celebrating International Women's Day by supporting the female entrepreneurs who use its platform every day. 87% of the sellers on Etsy are women.
Internally, the company strives for equal compensation and benefits. Externally, the social network wants to connect women around things that matter to them, says Maxine Williams, Global Chief Diversity Officer at Facebook.
"The Arrangement" returns for season 2 this Sunday on E! The star of the show Josh Henderson gives viewers a taste of the twist and turns they can expect in the coming weeks.
Vanity Fair's Hive + Between Bells. We’re joined by the crew at Vanity Fair's Hive to discuss Kushner, Cook, and Cohn. Between Bells celebrates International Women's Day with Cosmopolitan. Madame Noire, and more.
Robbie Kaplan, co-founder of the #TimesUp movement, says sweeping changes to laws in recent years have dissuaded attorneys from taking on harassment cases on behalf of women. The legal defense fund aims to change that.
There's a new tell-all book about taking readers inside the world of "The Bachelor." The Los Angeles Times' Amy Kaufman is the author of "Bachelor Nation" and joins Cheddar to reveal what she learned about America's favorite guilty pleasure.
Amy Kaufman, author of "Bachelor Nation", who's covered the hit ABC show for years, says she's surprised so few who work on it express any remorse that contestants' lives are laid bare.
"Black Panther" is still breaking records, but Disney is on to the next blockbuster as "A Wrinkle in Time" hits theaters. MadameNoire's Brande Victorian joins Cheddar to discuss whether the studio can keep its hot streak alive with the fantasy movie.
