This is one of the few pictures on cool optical illusions that is NOT
an optical illusion. This is just a diagram of the eye, and how the
eye relays the images to the brain to form pictures. Notice that the
picture of the flower actually gets formed on the retina upside down!
Your brain actually flips the image right side up.
Time to learn something:
Scientists actually did a study on some people by giving them mirrored
glasses, which they were required to wear contstantly for days. These
glasses had the effect of making everything they saw turn upside down.
Although very awkward at first, after a week or so their brains actually
started flipping the images right side up, and it was just like before!
Then when they took off their special glasses, everything was upside
down for a while as their brain adjusted!
Learn something else - a short lesson of group dynamics, how psychologists
used an optical illusion to discover something really interesting!
Did you know that if you project a spot of white light on a wall in
a dark room, and look at it for a few minutes, it will appear to move?
Even though it does not actually move? Psychologists used this in a
famous experiment where they would take a group of people and show them
the spot of light. Then they would ask how far the light moved. The
interesting thing is that the psychologists actually had only one real
participant in the group, and the rest were working for the psychologist.
In group A, The "workers" would all report a much larger
distance than they had actually seen: for example 14 inches. Then Participant
A would answer. In group B, they would have the participant verbally
give the answer first, so as not to be swayed by the group. As you might
expect, the participants in group A reported a much larger movement
than those in group B, even though they had seen the same thing!
Furthermore, the particpants in group A didn't only report a larger
number to sound better to the group, they truly BELEIVED that they saw
the line move much farther.
So just remember, if you are trying to persuade someone to believe
something, a technique you can use is to have others who share your
opinion talk about it first, so that the person sees that they are in
the minority. They just might start to remember things differently!
Please rate this illusion/picture. Your ratings help us choose which new optical illusions to create:
Best of the Best ...
Most Popular for October 2009:
Same Shade Diamonds Our newest optical illusion.
We just created it on 10/10/2009
Wow! It will look like the diamonds on the top are much darker than the diamonds on the bottom.
You won't believe how amazing this incredible optical illusion is.
Watch as the scary faces disappear before your eyes.
The longer you stare the stronger the illusion. Perfect to send to your friends for Halloween!
The Obama Illusion
We made this original Barack Obama Illusion and then we made it famous!
Stare for about 30 seconds and you'll see his ghostly image appear on the wall!
Valentines Day Love Test Illusion
This is one of our most highly rated illusions by our visitors. Watch the hearts disappear before your very eyes!
This is really cool. You'll start to see the hearts disappear as you fixate at the center. Don't miss it.
Moving Spiral Illusion
A version of our original moving spiral illusion was recently published in a popular college textbook.
It uses multiple illusory principles to give the illusion that it is moving when it is absolutely not moving. Big enough to be your desktop background!
Build Your Own Impossible Triangle
Instructions so you can build your own impossible triangle. Tell M.C. Escher that it's not so impossible after all!
Comes with a printable PDF guide with dotted lines for the folds and clearly marked lines to cut. See pictures of visitors submitted triangles too!
If you don't have time to see the hundreds of illusions today, see if you can at least catch all of these...
