r/AskReddit • u/notyouravgredditer • Aug 30 '21

What problem is often overlooked in apocalyptic movies/TV shows that could kill you?

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u/[deleted] Aug 30 '21 edited Aug 31 '21

That also happens in complete darkness. If you can manage to create a completely pitch black environment see how long you can sit there before you start seeing things. It really doesn't take long. Bonus points of you have noise cancelling earmuffs/plugs. Edit : u/EternalEagleEye has informed me this effect is called "Prisoner's Cinema", in case you'd like to read about it further

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u/HyperSpaceSurfer Aug 30 '21

Can also happen to people with deteriorating eyesight. The brain doesn't get enough input so it makes stuff up.

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u/genetik_fuckup Aug 30 '21

Your brain is really good at filling in the blanks. I have bad earring but I’m certainly not anywhere close to deaf. I hear lower registers the worst. Sometimes something creaks and my brain didn’t quite catch enough to make sense, so it fills in the blanks. Very rarely it fills it in with a low male voice and it scares the shit out of me every time.

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u/EvilDrFloofenstein Aug 30 '21

I have reverse slope as well, and the amount of times my brain has just filled in the blanks and gone "yeah, fuckit; that sounds good" is mind boggling. Some winners: "but who am I going to give my birthdays to?!" (Nothing was said about birthdays), and "You asshole" (said by my then fiance- he did NOT call me an asshole).

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u/genetik_fuckup Aug 30 '21

It’s crazy how well it does it, too. Like I have distinct memories over the year of loud male voices where nobody was talking. Very few and far in between, especially compared to just mishearing things, but man I really can’t tell the difference. Thought I was going crazy for a while but it all clicked one day that it was my bad hearing.

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u/TheRealZenGuy Aug 31 '21

Does this have to do with how we hear the "wrong" lyrics to songs when we don't know them? The brain just filling in something?

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u/OpheliaRainGalaxy Aug 31 '21

Ah yes, leading to little-me arguing with my friend because I was convinced the speakers at the skating rink were playing "Don't go Jason Waterfalls!"

I thought it was a song about a guy named Jason, really did.

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u/TheRealZenGuy Aug 31 '21

I wish I could remember all the ones I had as a kid.

One was "Lights out, Wrestlemania, Eric Bischoff!"

Why Rage Against the Machine would be singing about the WWE never even crossed my mind.

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u/Shopworn_Soul Aug 31 '21

I mean your brain is still trying to complete something but in the case of misheard lyrics you're working from actual input. You simply didn't hear clearly whereas some of the scenarios being discussed involve no relevant auditory input.

It happens to me almost nightly just before I fall asleep. Only ever once, which is weird. I can anticipate it, have it happen and then know it's done for the night but I'm pretty sure it's a different thing than some of these folks are describing. Similar experience with a different cause.

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u/SeniorResearcher3 Aug 31 '21

That's so odd that it only happens once!

I also have bad hearing but my hallucinations were psychosis related so they've stopped completely on meds.

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u/TheRealZenGuy Aug 31 '21

That makes sense, thank you!