Anderson Cooper attempts tasks with schizophrenia simulator

In something CNN is calling an “exercise in empathy,” Anderson Cooper recently underwent a simulation for schizophrenia.

Here’s how it worked.

Cooper wore headphones for an afternoon which played noises that schizophrenics would typically hear — specifically voices jabbering nonsense in fluctuating tones. Viewers can hear the voices, too, over the video.

They range in gender, content matter, and aggressiveness — sometimes being soothing, sometimes frustratedly yelling, sometimes screaming.

Cooper attempts to complete a list of tasks, assigned by producers, during the simulation. He’s asked the date and to name the last four U.S. presidents. He’s asked to fold paper and repeat five-word lists and series of numbers.

Watch, as he struggles with most of it and gets rattled by the noises he’s hearing internally.

If nothing else, if at all accurate, this is an interesting insight into the lives of people who battle schizophrenia daily.