Which is scarier! Seeing or hearing?

[.Ricks.]

I think definitly hearing since, when you see something, true it can be really scary but at least you are seeing the danger and react acordingly, if you only hear, sure you can think "oh it's nothing just noises" but from my experience with just a sound if I'm willing I'm able to imagine something that really makes me scared. I did this a couple of times to test it out and to this day sometimes when I'm trying to fall asleep I'll do it to see how far my imagination runs.
For instance you hear a simple bump in the dark. Ok just something falling, something giving in to weight a simple crack from the computer whatever, you can dismiss it at that or, and if you want you can try it, if you let your imagination run wild you can simply think, that was an accidental noise by something that's standing right beside my bed.

Seriously hearing without seeing is scary as hell.

 

[willsham45]

It all sounds quite interesting.

To answer the question which is scarier seeing or hearing I guess it all comes down to the situation in a film or game sound works best because my mind is making me wander what the horror is and in my house a strange sound is always more scary than what it actually is...although lately a strange sound simply arises the question what are the ferrets doing now.

As for a dream state sounds are scary but with my mind making the visuals as it were it can be just as scary, I know what freaks me out and that can be depicted by my mind.

Both are scary but combined with the helplessness of the not being able to move the thought of there is something downstairs and oh crap there is something crawling up my body I will probably be more scared by the second.

 

[Numb1lp]

Probably hearing, as your brain could turn the most innocent noises into some dark things.

 

[Firoth]

I think about it like this:

I can HEAR a chainsaw wielding maniac, or maybe it's a dirt bike.
I can SEE a chainsaw wielding maniac, or maybe it's a lumberjack.
BUT, if I can FEEL a chainsaw wielded by a maniac, then you know.

 

[superbatranger]

Hearing things I can't see would be scarier. My imagination would fill in the blanks. Also, this sleep paralysis business makes me want to never fall asleep, just so that it won't happen to me.

 

[sky14kemea]

Hearing things I can't see would be scarier. My imagination would fill in the blanks. Also, this sleep paralysis business makes me want to never fall asleep, just so that it won't happen to me.

xD
Awww, don't worry about it dude. It usually only happens once to people, and they never even notice it most of the time! You're pretty much safe from it if it hasn't happened already!

 

[rutger5000]

I think I suffered from this, I remember seeing the face of a which floating in the air. Strangely enough I knew it was fake, but I think I could move. Is it possible to overpower it? Because I can willingly move my body while I'm a sleep (most of the time I'll wake up because of it though).

By the way. Seeing is more like actually shitting your pants, but hearing makes you much less comfortable because it's harder to say to yourself this is fake.

I don't know if it's possible to over power it actually, but I don't think it'd be impossible. I've been able to move my hand once or twice in some cases. :/

Now I'm starting to get curious. If you manage to move, what kind of movements are they.I personally need several seconds to connect mind a body again and when the connection is strong enough I can make a big fast movement, usually an entire limb swinging around.

 

[superbatranger]

Hearing things I can't see would be scarier. My imagination would fill in the blanks. Also, this sleep paralysis business makes me want to never fall asleep, just so that it won't happen to me.

xD
Awww, don't worry about it dude. It usually only happens once to people, and they never even notice it most of the time! You're pretty much safe from it if it hasn't happened already!

Guess you have a point there. My entire life and I only remember 2 dreams.

 

[SL33TBL1ND]

I think Nothing Is Scarier [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NothingIsScarier].

 

[northeast rower]

I hate to use a game here, but "Condemned: Criminal Origins" proved to me that hearing what you can't see is much, MUCH scarier.

 

[sky14kemea]

I think I suffered from this, I remember seeing the face of a which floating in the air. Strangely enough I knew it was fake, but I think I could move. Is it possible to overpower it? Because I can willingly move my body while I'm a sleep (most of the time I'll wake up because of it though).

By the way. Seeing is more like actually shitting your pants, but hearing makes you much less comfortable because it's harder to say to yourself this is fake.

I don't know if it's possible to over power it actually, but I don't think it'd be impossible. I've been able to move my hand once or twice in some cases. :/

Now I'm starting to get curious. If you manage to move, what kind of movements are they.I personally need several seconds to connect mind a body again and when the connection is strong enough I can make a big fast movement, usually an entire limb swinging around.

Very small movements at best, like tilting to the side of moving my hand up a bit to try and shield myself. xD
Then again if I am trying to move it means I'm panicking anyway >_> so I usually can't get my mind to connect back to my body. Dx

 

[sky14kemea]

Hearing things I can't see would be scarier. My imagination would fill in the blanks. Also, this sleep paralysis business makes me want to never fall asleep, just so that it won't happen to me.

xD
Awww, don't worry about it dude. It usually only happens once to people, and they never even notice it most of the time! You're pretty much safe from it if it hasn't happened already!

I'm glad you said that. I have never actually hallucinated - not to my own knowledge, anyway - but the thought of seeing something like that has always horrified me. Then you made this thread, and I looked on the wikipedia page, and it said that almost everyone experiences this. Scared me shitless. So I continued on with reading this thread, and people's horror stories, scaring the shit out of myself, and you said that, and I just breathed, knowing that chances are I won't remember it.

Actually, I do remember a dream or waking up once, I don't know, I just know that I didn't open my eyes and it felt like something very, very heavy was on my chest. I didn't hear or see anything at all. But I did wake up and immediately turn the lamp on and played Super Mario Sunshine for the rest of the night.

I really didn't mean to scare people with this thread. Whoops. xD

But yeah, really don't get paranoid about it happening to you! Heck I doubt most people even have the hallucinations. There's probably more people on the Escapist that do because we all play a lot of games and have huge imaginations on here >.> From what I've seen anyway. =P

 

[v3n0mat3]

Hearing things. Think about it.... what could be behind that wall? Who or what could be making those sounds? Yeah.

 

[SovietSecrets]

Hearing. If I can see it at least I will know what is attacking me and maybe try to do something. If I cant, then well good game for me.

 

[Fiz_The_Toaster]

I think hearing is much scarier because you're imagination can be much more frightening than actually seeing something. If you just see it then you know what the horror is, but if you just hear it, you have no idea what's around the corner or what's in the dark.

 

[rutger5000]

I think I suffered from this, I remember seeing the face of a which floating in the air. Strangely enough I knew it was fake, but I think I could move. Is it possible to overpower it? Because I can willingly move my body while I'm a sleep (most of the time I'll wake up because of it though).

By the way. Seeing is more like actually shitting your pants, but hearing makes you much less comfortable because it's harder to say to yourself this is fake.

I don't know if it's possible to over power it actually, but I don't think it'd be impossible. I've been able to move my hand once or twice in some cases. :/

Now I'm starting to get curious. If you manage to move, what kind of movements are they.I personally need several seconds to connect mind a body again and when the connection is strong enough I can make a big fast movement, usually an entire limb swinging around.

Very small movements at best, like tilting to the side of moving my hand up a bit to try and shield myself. xD
Then again if I am trying to move it means I'm panicking anyway >_> so I usually can't get my mind to connect back to my body. Dx

Nanananana I've got a magic trick that prevents me from ever having to go though a nightmare, and you can't do it. Nanananana.

Seriously though. It took quiet some training. I can't really say anything except that I simply forced to move my body. But here's a how to guide (it's short).
First realize that you're dreaming / hallucinating, and that you can't willingly move your body anymore.
Then focus on a part of your body you're familiar with, like the arm you use for writing. It has to be able to make a big movement. Smaller muscles like those in your hand won't work.
Now comes the hard part. !!!Force it too move!!! Like I said this only takes me a few seconds, but when I started doing it it took me several minutes. Mostly the bad monster was already chewing on me by then.

 

[Shifty Tortoise]

Hearing definitely, don't think i've been afraid of something i could see... Well, maybe trains

 

[Jroo wuz heer]

snip. damn, gonna need bigger scissors
SNIP!
ah there we go
.

do you ever have hallucinations about being somewhere else?
like in a different room from the one you sleep in?

OT:hearing

 

[sky14kemea]

Nanananana I've got a magic trick that prevents me from ever having to go though a nightmare, and you can't do it. Nanananana.

Seriously though. It took quiet some training. I can't really say anything except that I simply forced to move my body. But here's a how to guide (it's short).
First realize that you're dreaming / hallucinating, and that you can't willingly move your body anymore.
Then focus on a part of your body you're familiar with, like the arm you use for writing. It has to be able to make a big movement. Smaller muscles like those in your hand won't work.
Now comes the hard part. !!!Force it too move!!! Like I said this only takes me a few seconds, but when I started doing it it took me several minutes. Mostly the bad monster was already chewing on me by then.

Damn yoooooou! *shakes fist angrily*

Thanks for the short guide though, I'll attempt it if it happens again! :0

Weird thing though, none of my hallucinations ever got that close to me, they'd just stand near the bed, or like reach out and sorta stop near my legs. :l It's the way they moved towards me that freaked me out more.

 

[sky14kemea]

snip. damn, gonna need bigger scissors
SNIP!
ah there we go
.

do you ever have hallucinations about being somewhere else?
like in a different room from the one you sleep in?

OT:hearing

Nope, never actually had that. Probably because I am technically awake. xD

Although thanks to my lamp, my room glows a deep orange sometimes in the night, so one time it really looked like I was surrounded by flames and stuff. :/