Sometimes our eyes play tricks on us and we see an optical illusion. Illusions trick us into perceiving something differently than actually exists...what??? How can we see something that doesn't exist??? Optical Illusions are enough to drive anyone bonkers!
Battle of the Brain
Science helps to explain optical illusions. Scientists and doctors have determined that we have two sides of our brains that work independently from each other. So while the left side of our brain is saying, "It's a dog, it's a dog!" the right side of our brain is telling us "You dimwit, it's just a bunch of lines and colors on a piece of paper."
Have you ever seen a drawing or picture that looked so real, you tried to grab it? Well, photographs might be a bad example because we all know what a photograph is...but what about those real optical illusions that make your brain hurt? Sometimes one side of our brain is so dominant, it will refuse to listen to what the other side can really see. Let's try it out...
Courtesy of NIEHS
You may not see it at first, but the white spaces create the word OPTICAL, while the blue landscape spells out ILLUSION.
The Man in the Coffee Beans
Courtesy of NIEHS
The "illusion" is that this is just a picture of coffee beans...but is it? Can you find a man's face among the beans? Some say that if you find the man in three seconds or less, the right half of your brain may be more well-developed than most people! Try it out! (PS: This is not a trick. A man's face is really hidden among the beans!)
Nanimation
Courtesy of NIEHS
Courtesy of NIEHS
These pictures are NOT animated. Your eyes are making them move. To test this, stare at one spot in each picture for a few seconds and everything will stop moving; OR look at the black center of each circle in the first picture, and it will stop moving, but when you move your eyes to the next black center, the previous one will move after you take your eyes away from it.
Vase of Face
Courtesy of kellscreations
This is an oldie but a goodie. The vase or face optical illusion has been around forever and it was probably one of the first in the world. Most people see a vase when they look at this image - but can you see the two faces?
