*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).
As the gender pay gap continues to close there is still some hesitation in women when it comes to being confident in their personal finances. Hilary Hendershott, President & Chief Advisor of Hilary Hendershott Financial joins Your Cheddar to discuss how to get your feet wet in investing.
Cheddar's CannaBiz explores the business of marijuana. Cheddar Anchors Tim Stenovec and Hope King explore the state of regulation, market opportunity, and businesses capitalizing on this trend.
The Washington Post broke the story that GPS tracking and fitness company Strava had revealed the locations of secret U.S. Military bases. Now, Rosie Spinks, reporter at Quartz, joins Cheddar to explain how and why she has been focusing on the privacy issues around Strava since this summer.
"Ultimate Expedition" is YouTube Red’s newest adventure competition series, bringing together eight celebrities with no previous climbing experience to summit Mount Tocllaraju in Peru. Chachi Gonzales is a Youtube star who decided to participate in the competition alongside other celebrities.
Earlier this month Facebook announced they would be adjusting their media and news strategy to give preference to reliable news sources. This has since resulted in fire from media moguls and another announcement from Facebook that they would be giving preference to local news sources.
Vimeo coming off a big year of changes in 2017. The company's CEO Anjali Sud explains how these changes are driving growth for the company. A look at the business of marijuana on Cheddar's Cannabiz. The New York Times released an investigative piece on the dark world of buying followers and bots for social media fame and recognition. Facebook faces calls to remove its messenger app for kids. The Dow closed today down more than 300 points. The major dip occurred on the same day as President Trump's first State of the Union address.
This weekend the New York Times released an investigative piece on the dark world of buying followers and bots for social media fame and recognition. Since the report has been released, the fallout has been significant. Nicholas Confessore, reporter at the New York Times, joins Cheddar to talk about his report and what the reaction has been.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo recently proposed government funding for a study to explore the impact of legalizing recreational marijuana in the state. State Senator Gustavo Rivera (D-NY) and High NY Founder and CEO Michael Zaystev discuss the state of regulation in New York.
Beth Dover is a talented comedian who shows off her impressive comedic timing in both Netflix's "Orange is the New Black" and Comedy Central's "Another Period." The funny lady currently stars in the period comedy which just premiered its third season.
Amazon is joining forces with Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase to bring their employees better and cheaper healthcare. EasyJet's CEO is giving himself a pay cut to match the salary of his female predecessor. Actor Jeff Hiller joins us to discuss stepping into a critically-acclaimed off-Broadway solo show already in progress. Plus, we talk to Chat Sports about the Cleveland Indians' decision to do away with their controversial logo.
