If, like me, GIFs give you life, then you know what they are (and why they are awesome). They’re short repeating animated clips that people use to convey their feelings – and they’re always silent.
Except, apparently, when they’re not.
There’s a GIF out there, created by Twitter user Happy Toast, that people say they can here. Or at least that’s what more than 70% said in an unofficial online poll.
Photo Credit: Twitter
And honestly (and understandably), it’s kind of freaking them out. Can you hear it?
No? Yes?
This isn’t the first time a GIF has had this effect. People also claim to be able to hear this GIF of elephants on a seesaw…
Oh look, it’s one of those gifs you can hear
And in this one, people hear Queen’s “We Will Rock You.” Which probably isn’t the worst thing ever.
I promised to tell you why this is happening, though, so here we go:
There’s something know as the McGurk Effect, which allows your brain to be tricked into hearing different things based on the visual information you are receiving at the time. Basically, what you see can override what you hear, even if the only stimulus is visual, aka a GIF.
This study backs up the theory. It found that 22% of participants “heard” faint sounds when shown a flash of light.
So it’s not terribly uncommon for people to “hear” movement.
It’s still totally weird, though, right?
Image Credit: Pixabay
Humans are strange. And awesome. And strange. Just go with it.
