Silent animation makes a 'thudding' sound - Unexplained Mysteries
An animated GIF of a jumping pylon seems to create the illusion of sound even when there is none.
Watch this animation closely for a while - can you hear anything when the pylon hits the ground ?
This mind-bending audio illusion, which has been going viral over the last couple of days, shows a trio of electricity pylons using a length of cable as a skipping rope.
Despite the fact that there is no audio however, many people have reported hearing a distinct 'thudding' sound each time the jumping pylon hits the ground.
Dr Lisa DeBruine, a psychologist at the University of Glasgow, posted the animation on Twitter and then conducted a poll of 15,000 people to find out whether or not they could hear anything.
The results indicated that as many as 75% of those who viewed the image could perceive a sound.
According to Dr DeBruine, the reason for this is the ear's 'acoustic reflex' - a defensive mechanism designed to protect your hearing from an anticipated loud noise.
In this case the noise never comes, but that doesn't stop your ears 'squinting' in anticipation.
An animated GIF of a jumping pylon seems to create the illusion of sound even when there is none.
Watch this animation closely for a while - can you hear anything when the pylon hits the ground ?
This mind-bending audio illusion, which has been going viral over the last couple of days, shows a trio of electricity pylons using a length of cable as a skipping rope.
Despite the fact that there is no audio however, many people have reported hearing a distinct 'thudding' sound each time the jumping pylon hits the ground.
Dr Lisa DeBruine, a psychologist at the University of Glasgow, posted the animation on Twitter and then conducted a poll of 15,000 people to find out whether or not they could hear anything.
The results indicated that as many as 75% of those who viewed the image could perceive a sound.
According to Dr DeBruine, the reason for this is the ear's 'acoustic reflex' - a defensive mechanism designed to protect your hearing from an anticipated loud noise.
In this case the noise never comes, but that doesn't stop your ears 'squinting' in anticipation.