- You have to hear it to believe it.
00:00
- Let's talk about that.
00:03
- Good Mythical Morning.
00:12
- Rhett, are you familiar
with the old saying,
00:15
"You're so full of crap,
it's coming outta your ears?"
00:16
- I'm familiar with the
more vulgar version of that.
00:19
- Well, today, we're gonna be putting crap
00:22
into your ears, and by crap--
00:24
- No, by crap, I mean
illusions, in the form of audio.
00:27
- You never know on this show.
(chuckles)
00:32
- I'm talking audio illusions.
00:33
- [Link] It's time to feel confusion
00:36
from these audio illusions.
00:38
Okay, Rhett, I'm gonna
run you through a battery
00:41
of audio illusions, where
your ears are going to
00:43
trick your brain, and you're gonna--
00:47
it may be confusing, it may be fun,
00:50
you also can experience it.
00:52
- Well, I love tricks, I love sound.
00:55
And I love to be confused.
- Check. Check. Check.
00:57
- I have all of it.
01:00
- I knew all of this. If
you love those things,
01:01
you'll need speakers, and
then for the last one,
01:03
you will need headphones.
01:05
Alright, we have brought
in some huge speakers,
01:10
so that you can experience
the phantom words illusion.
01:12
Again, it works best with
speakers for you too.
01:17
I'm gonna play a word
or phrase for you from
01:20
an existing experiment
created by Dr. Diana Deutsch,
01:23
of UCSB, that is split up
by panning half of the word
01:26
or phrase all the way to the right,
01:30
and then the other half
all the way to the left,
01:32
so each half will mix in the air,
01:35
and then mix in your
ears and in your brain--
01:38
- So then, your brain is
going to try to decipher it.
01:42
So I just want you to sit
right in the middle, okay?
01:45
And then just relax, you
don't have to overthink this.
01:49
Sit right in the middle there.
01:52
And tell me what you hear
when the track is up.
01:55
(repetitive vocal sounds)
01:59
Alright, I'll move back over here.
02:14
Tell me what you heard.
02:16
- That was exhilarating.
02:18
At first I heard "no wah,
no wah, no wah, no wah,
02:20
"no wah, no wah, no"
02:23
- That's not a word. Or a phrase.
02:26
- Like telling a baby like "no wah!"
02:27
- Okay, that's a phrase.
02:29
- Moms who didn't know how to tell a kid--
02:30
didn't know the word for cry.
02:32
- And then it shifts to something else?
02:33
- No wah! No way, no way, no way, no way,
02:34
no way, no way, no way, no way, no way!
02:37
- No way. Okay, people do hear that.
02:41
They also hear "window".
I'm curious what you heard.
02:44
Send it to me through the Internet.
02:47
Oh, some people heard "love me".
02:49
"Rainbow," "rain coat," or even "bueno."
02:53
- You wanna know what it was actually?
02:58
- She didn't reveal what it was.
03:03
- Oh, The Deutschster.
03:04
- She put a Deutsch on us.
- Yeah, the ol' Deutsch.
03:05
- Which is pretty frustrating--
03:08
- The point is that your
brain wants to make sense
03:11
of nonsense, even though
ironically there is actually
03:15
a word in there that's not revealed.
03:18
When it's reduced to a palette of sounds,
03:20
it's called-- the process
is called paredolia.
03:22
It's similar to when you look at a cloud,
03:26
and you might see a fire truck,
03:28
and I see Demi Lovato.
03:30
- You make sense of it. Yeah.
03:31
- You make sense of it.
03:32
But I was frustrated in
not knowing the answer.
03:34
So, I created a few more.
03:36
So move back to the center.
03:38
And these are our homemade
phantom words, okay?
03:41
So, play the first one.
03:45
(repetitive vocal sounds)
03:46
What did you hear in that one?
03:54
- "Nochi?"
- Alright, let's play that--
03:55
- I'm mispronouncing gnocchi.
03:58
Give me the "no-chee!"
04:01
(laughs)
- That's not--
04:02
- I love that potato pasta!
04:04
- That's right. How do you say it?
04:07
- Gnocchi.
- Oh. No, just kidding.
04:09
Okay, so play it slower, let's
reveal the actual answer.
04:11
- [Recorded Voice] No
chin. No chin. No chin.
04:13
No chin. No chin. No chin. No chin.
04:16
- You trying to say something about me?
04:19
I do have a chin, it's called a beard.
04:21
- Alright, alright, here's
another one we made--
04:24
- Look at that. It's beautiful.
04:26
- See if you can identify this one.
04:27
(repetitive vocal sounds)
04:29
- "Zo-axis?"
(crew laughing)
04:38
Why, why--
- What is the answer?
04:39
- [Recorded Voice] Psoriasis.
04:41
Why are you putting out all my flaws, man?
04:44
Put out some of my assets.
04:48
- I think you're hearing your flaws.
04:49
- What else could I be? It said psoriasis.
04:52
- Yeah, you're right. Alright--
04:55
You know what, since you're catching on,
04:56
let's just skip to the slow one.
04:58
- [Recorded Voice] It's
a good thing you can't
05:00
have any more kids. It's a good thing--
05:02
That is a good thing.
05:05
There's nothing to be
ashamed about with that!
05:08
- Alright, we having fun?
- Yeah!
05:12
- Let's do another one.
05:14
This is called the
speech to song illusion.
05:15
- Again, we are using speakers.
05:18
You can use anything
you want for this one.
05:19
Just listen to this clip and tell me if it
05:22
turns into a song for you.
05:24
- [Female Voice] The sounds
as they appear to you
05:28
are not only different from
those that are really present,
05:29
but they sometimes behave so strangely,
05:32
as to seem quite impossible.
05:35
But they sometimes behave so strangely,
05:38
they sometimes behave so strangely,
05:40
sometimes behave so strangely,
05:44
sometimes behave so strangely--
05:47
- Did it become a song?
05:51
- Yeah. I mean, I think
part of this has to do
05:52
with the fact that like,
05:54
loops are so popular,
05:55
that they've been music-applied before,
05:57
but she has a very singsong-y voice.
05:59
- Yeah.
- Music! What did she say?
06:02
- Sometimes behaves so strangely.
06:04
- Sometimes behaves so strangely.
06:06
- It's like Mary Poppins.
06:08
- But it, I mean, I think it is still more
06:10
songified in your brain than
it is in the real world.
06:12
And there's some science behind this.
06:15
Again, if you isolate a
spoken phrase and loop it,
06:18
it begins to sound like a song.
06:20
Assuming that neural
circuitries underlying
06:22
speech and song are at some point
06:25
distinct and separate--
06:27
- Ways that you process in your brain.
06:30
Repetition can actually
shift your brain over
06:32
from the speech perceptual circuitry
06:34
over to the song perceptual circuitry.
06:37
- Cause once you understand...
06:40
- And transferring it to music.
06:41
- What is being said
then you're gonna start
06:42
thinking about the notes.
06:43
Because I'm making notes
as I speak right now.
06:44
I'm just making the same
note over and over again.
06:46
But it changes--
(talking over each other)
06:49
- She had intonation.
06:50
But again, I think the
theory of the illusion
06:51
is that it's going even further.
06:54
And I wanted to see if
we could do this with
06:56
an intro from Good Mythical Morning.
06:58
- So, let's play that.
07:00
- [Rhett Voiceover]
Today we find out which
07:01
hot dog is the top dog.
07:02
- [Link Voiceover] Let's talk about that.
07:04
- [Rhett Voiceover] Which
hot dog is the top dog.
07:06
Which hot dog is the top dog.
07:08
Which hot dog is the top dog.
07:10
Which hot dog is the top dog.
07:13
Which hot dog is the top dog.
07:15
- Which hot dog is the top dog.
07:17
- That's me. See I have
a singsong-y voice.
07:19
It's very pleasant.
07:21
- But to really land this
one, we have another version.
07:22
- [Rhett Voiceover] Which
hot dog is the top dog?
07:26
Which hot dog is the top dog?
07:28
Which hot dog is the top dog?
07:30
Which hot dog is the top dog?
07:32
- [Rhett Voiceover] Which
hot dog is the top dog?
07:35
Yo, we're both great!
- What?
07:38
(laughs)
- Yeah, we're both great.
07:40
- Ah, missed the opportunity.
07:42
Still haven't quite gotten that,
07:43
we give that to the Gregory Brothers,
07:44
and they can take it all the way.
07:45
Okay, throw on your cans for this one,
07:49
it is the 3-D sound illusion.
07:52
I am going to give you the experience,
07:54
auditorially, of having
your hair cut by a barber.
07:57
- Put 'em on and play it.
08:02
- [Recorded Voice] Welcome to
the Starkey Cetera Barbershop
08:05
and your virtual hair cut.
08:08
Now, as I begin the clipping--
08:11
- I've got headphones on.
08:13
- [Recorded Voice] I bring
the clip closer to your ear,
08:14
very close to the right ear, follow me as
08:16
I move around the back of the head--
08:19
- Do you have a reference
for how I want this done?
08:21
- Now you can get the
same effect better with
08:24
the electric razor, I'll
first bring it close to
08:27
- Why does he talk like Mario?
08:31
- [Recorded Voice] Closer,
and then around the back
08:34
And onto your left.
08:38
I think that looks wonderful.
08:43
- I never thought--
08:45
I know I did not want
Mario to cut my hair, but--
08:47
- Now you really know that?
08:51
I meant to tell you to close your eyes,
08:53
that helps the experience a little bit,
08:54
- Well, no, it was more than
just he was on the right
08:56
and the left, he was literally behind me,
08:59
like moving in a U behind my head.
09:01
- Right, it's interesting.
09:06
Obviously, they use volume
and balancing panning
09:07
between your right and left ears,
09:11
but they also alter the
arrival times of sounds
09:12
between your right and left ear
09:15
to help you believe spatial relationships
09:17
and the location of the
barber or the clippers
09:20
or whatever the case may be.
09:22
This was created by
QSound Labs back in 1996.
09:23
- Oh, yeah. Sounded like a '96.
09:26
- It's got some vintage-ness to it.
09:28
Uploaded to YouTube in 2007.
09:30
25 million views, though, so you can't--
09:32
- So I think back in the day this was like
09:35
blowing people's minds.
09:36
But I've created a new
one to blow your mind.
09:37
I wanted to take you back to
an actual experience we had
09:40
our freshman year in high school.
09:44
It's a story we told on Ear Biscuits,
09:46
maybe you'll remember it as
we step through this thing.
09:49
- You want me to close my eyes?
09:51
- Yeah, I would definitely
close your eyes for this one.
09:53
- [Link Voiceover] Hey
Rhett, it's me, Link.
09:56
I'm standing on your left.
09:58
Now I'm standing on your right,
09:59
and your left, now your right,
10:00
now your right again, ha!
Fooled ya!
10:01
You thought I was gonna be
on your left, didn't ya?
10:03
Okay, let's get on with it.
10:05
We're in the eighth grade,
10:06
we're at a party at a friend's house.
10:07
It's the '90s, so there's some totally
10:09
tubular '90s music in the background.
10:10
Now we're walking through the house.
10:13
You notice there's a room, a special room.
10:15
You turn around and say, "Hey
Link, I found a special room."
10:17
When I realize what kind of room it is,
10:22
I whisper in your right ear and say,
10:23
"It's a kissing room!"
10:24
There's a bunch of people
kissing in this room,
10:26
but there are two girls
that aren't kissing anyone.
10:28
It's Anna and Amber.
10:30
Amber calls out, "Hey, Rhett!
10:31
"Come and sit by me! Ooh la la!"
10:34
And then Anna calls out, "Hey, Link!
10:36
"Come and sit by me, merci beaucoup!"
10:39
So we sit with these girls.
10:42
Anna takes a big swig of Sprite.
10:43
(soda fizzing)
(slurping)
10:45
- I don't remember that.
10:47
- [Link Voiceover] "Aaaaahh."
10:48
You look over at Amber and see
10:51
she's taking a big bite out of an apple.
10:52
(apple crunching)
"Mmmmmm."
10:54
- I don't remember that either.
10:56
- [Link Voiceover] "Mmmmmm."
10:57
There was no apple involved.
10:58
We've both never wanted to
make out more in our lives.
11:02
Not with each other. With girls.
11:04
Good thing I practiced kissing
on the wall of my shower.
11:06
(shower running)
(kissing)
11:08
(shower running)
(kissing)
11:12
- [Link Voiceover] I tilt my head left
11:15
and go in for the kiss.
11:16
- This is unpleasant. I don't remember--
11:24
(talking and audio playback overlaps)
11:24
- [Link Voiceover] I open
my eyes and look at you.
11:26
And you're looking right back at me.
11:27
You're making out with Amber over here.
11:29
- [Link Voiceover] And I'm
making out with Anna over here.
11:38
- That's how it happened, man.
11:46
- [Link Voiceover] And
we're staring at each other.
11:48
And you're thinking, "this
is pretty cool, man."
11:50
This is so not true to life.
11:56
- [Link Voiceover] I also used to practice
11:59
kissing the bedpost.
12:00
My mom would walk in
and catch me sometimes.
12:02
- That's exactly how it happened.
12:06
- Why did you confess-- you didn't have to
12:07
confess so many awkward things.
12:08
- I don't know, I just got on a roll,
12:11
that's what happens with audio illusions.
12:12
You get free.
(laughs)
12:14
- I learned some stuff,
I don't know how much
12:16
scientific stuff I learned,
I learned some stuff
12:18
about you, but I guess, it's too late,
12:20
we're best friends now.
12:22
- Well, you were there.
12:23
And you can't deny it.
12:25
- Thank you for liking,
commenting, and subscribing.
12:27
- You know what time it is.
12:28
- And we're from Long Beach, California.
12:31
- And we're here at the gum
wall in Seattle, Washington.
12:33
- And it's time to spin
the Wheel of Mythicality.
12:35
- If you liked that as much as we do,
12:38
you're gonna love our
podcast, Ear Biscuits
12:40
available wherever podcasts are found.
12:42
Also on our This is
Mythical YouTube channel.
12:44
- And, click through
to Good Mythical More.
12:46
We're gonna do the
Whisper Challenge, y'all.
12:49
- Ooh, I'm so excited.
12:54
- Whoa! Gifticality!
12:58
That means we're donating $1000
to Save the Children to aid
13:01
in their mission to create a world where
13:03
every child is able to live
a safe, full, beautiful life
13:05
through global humanitarian work.
13:07
Please join us in giving
at www.SaveTheChildren.net.
13:09
- Thank you for being your Mythical Best.
13:13
- [Link] Thanks for clicking subscribe.
13:16
Click on the left to watch
the show after the show,
13:17
Good Mythical More.
13:18
- [Rhett] Click on the right to watch
13:19
another episode of Good Mythical Morning.
13:20
- [Link] And be sure to
check out our other channel
13:21
This is Mythical, by clicking
the video on the bottom
13:22
Thanks for being your mythical best.
13:24