Why Some People Can Hear Silent GIF (bbc.com)

An anonymous reader shares a BBC report: Some people claim they can hear a thudding sound when the pylon hits the ground and the picture vibrates. Last weekend, Dr Lisa DeBruine from the Institute of Neuroscience & Psychology at the University of Glasgow posted it on Twitter, asking her followers to describe whether they experienced any auditory sensations while watching it. One person who suffers from ringing ears replied: "I hear a vibrating thudding sound, and it also cuts out my tinnitus during the camera shake." Others offered explanations as to why. While another suggested it may have something to do with correlated neuronal activity: "The brain is 'expecting/predicting' what is coming visually and then fires a version of what it expects across the relevant senses. Also explains why some might 'feel' a physical shake."

Comments

Brain scan?

[OrangeTide]

Maybe an MRI or brain scan would provide something more conclusive than people self-reporting.

Gestalt Theory?

[XxtraLarGe]

I didn't actually hear anything, but in my mind I was producing a thud every time the pylon hit the ground & the image shook. Gestalt Theory, loosely put, says that your mind tries to fill in the gaps of things you experience. It's like when you look at a painting, and your mind tries to imagine what is beyond the frame by filling it out.