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Why some people can hear this silent GIF

bbc.co.uk

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Re: Why some people can hear this silent GIF

#4

Post by AimHere »

dimpadumpa wrote: post #3

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 ??

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?

Re: Why some people can hear this silent GIF

#5

Post by vamin »

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.

Re: Why some people can hear this silent GIF

#6

Post by brudgers »

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.

Re: Why some people can hear this silent GIF

#7

Post by sogen »

karlb wrote: post #2

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... )

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

Re: Why some people can hear this silent GIF

#8

Post by pb060 »

vamin wrote: post #5

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.

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.
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