Scientists Just Discovered the Sound That Drives Humans Insane — And No, It’s Not Your Mother-in-Law’s Voice!
Added on November 8, 2025 inASTROLOGY CARDS
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Ever wondered if your ears could totally punk your brain just like those wild optical illusions fool your eyes? Well, strap in—because today we’re diving into the maddening world of the Shepard tone. Named after the clever cognitive scientist Roger Shepard, this isn’t your average sound. Imagine a tone that keeps rising or falling forever, yet somehow never actually changes pitch—sort of like Mercury doing backflips in retrograde, messing with your sense of direction and sending your anxiety levels on a cosmic rollercoaster. It’s the audio equivalent of stairs that go on forever, but when you try to step on them, you never quite get anywhere. Creepy, right? This sonic trickery has rocked movies, video games, and even TikTok challenges that push people to the edge of their sanity—chest pressure, racing thoughts, you name it. Curious why this simple loop of sine waves can rattle your nerves like a full moon on a tempestuous zodiac night? Let’s unpack this eerie symphony that’s as hypnotic as it is unsettling. LEARN MORE.
Most of us are familiar with optical illusions. They make our eyes and brains question whether they are seeing things as they truly are or creating our own version of what we see.
Similarly, an auditory illusion can trick your brain and your ears into believing you hear certain things. They are false perceptions of real sounds generated by outside stimuli. One such audible illusion is called the Shepard tone, a sound named after cognitive scientist Roger Shepard, who created it in addition to an optical illusion called the Shepard table.
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It’s a set of sine waves that creates the illusion of a consistent and never-ending tone that will rise or fall. It is achieved by overlapping notes that go up or down just one octave but vary in volume. As each scale fades in and out, the beginning and end of each become indistinguishable and seemingly start to continually ascend or descend.
The Shepard tone creates a way to build conflict or ramp up tension. In film, it is intended to give a sense of discomfort or indicate that trouble is afoot. It is one of the sound effects that creates a foreboding sense that morphs into a haunted effect, building anticipation and anxiety.
Visually creating a Shepard scale would produce an image that looks like a staircase that goes on forever. It’s also referred to as a “Musical Barber Pole” or “The Sonic Barber Pole” due to comparisons to the infinite diagonal lines — listen to an example of it.
Like a barber pole, the scales have the illusion of continuously moving up or down, but in actuality are simply looping around and around. French composer Jean-Claude Risset created an alternate form, which he coined as the Shepard-Risset glissando. In his version, the sounds move smoothly from one to the next to create a more haunting version.
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The series of notes spaced an octave apart and variances in volume give the listener the impression that it is an endless sound when played in a loop.
Its tones lure our brain into making errors in perception. Although it is simply a series of short, repeated patterns, we hear it as a continuous single pattern that keeps changing pitch.
Why does a Shepard tone cause anxiety and panic? The effects of music on human emotions are still being studied, but life experiences tell us that it has a profound impact.
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What has been proven is that music increases blood flow to the brain regions that house our emotions. Our limbic systems are very responsive to music. Music also gives listeners a dopamine boost.
Music is used to help regulate moods, so it stands to reason that the Shepard tone, which is meant to make listeners anxious or panicky, does exactly what it was meant to do.
TikToker Sean Andrew documented his experience listening to the sound for 10 hours. Andrew reported that he experienced chest pressure, anxiety, racing thoughts, elevated heart rate, and ringing in his ears after playing the sound for 5 hours.
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Christopher Nolan used the Shepard tone in his 2008 movie, The Dark Knight. The sound of Batman’s motorcycle, the Batpod, has sound effects that demonstrate the constant rising and falling of a single note.
In the 2017 Hans Zimmer movie, “Dunkirk,” the Shepard tone was used to create the rising and falling sound of an orchestra to create drama and ramp up the tension. The Shepard tone is used a lot in music, namely by rock groups like Pink Floyd and The Police. Generally, it is used to elevate tension just before a kick.
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NyRee Ausler is a writer from Seattle, Washington, and the author of seven books. She focuses on lifestyle and human interest stories that deliver informative and actionable guidance on interpersonal relationships, enlightenment, and self-discovery.
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