Optical Illusions That Will Twist Your Mind Into Knots

Bright Side

Optical illusions are like little tricks your brain plays on you, and they never fail to leave you scratching your head. Some illusions make a still image look like it’s moving, while others have you questioning whether two lines are really the same length. There are those famous ones, like the dress that was blue and black or white and gold, and they literally divided the internet. Then there’s the illusion where a flat drawing suddenly looks 3D—your brain just fills in the gaps! These mind-twisters aren’t just fun; they also teach scientists how our brains process visual information. So, the next time you see an optical illusion, remember—it’s proof that your brain is a little too good at jumping to conclusions!  Animation is created by Bright Side. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/   Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV   Subscribe to Bright Side: https://goo.gl/rQTJZz ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Social Media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brightside Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightside.official TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.official?lang=en Telegram: https://t.me/bright_side_official   Stock materials (photos, footages and other): https://www.depositphotos.com https://www.shutterstock.com https://www.eastnews.ru ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate.

Transcript

00:00Yep, this is technically Kim Kardashian's face.

00:03I know, I know.

00:04How can someone so beautiful look so weird?

00:07I'll give you a second to figure out what's going on here.

00:10Let's see if your mind can figure out what your eyes can't really understand.

00:14Right, we should totally try it with other public figures.

00:18But let me explain the logic behind it first.

00:21You just witnessed the magic of the inverted face effect.

00:24This optical illusion was discovered 45 years ago and it continues to wow people.

00:29Here's how it works.

00:31The picture is turned upside down, but key features of the person's face are kept the

00:36right way up.

00:37For the magic to happen, you can't change everything in the picture, just key features

00:42like the eyes and the mouth.

00:44The illusion revealed a glitch in how our brain processes faces.

00:48Apparently, we don't think about a face as a whole.

00:51We understand each of its components and then assemble it into a whole.

00:57Now let's take a look at Lady Gaga for a sec.

01:00While you're staring, try to figure out what on earth is going on.

01:03I mean, it's just too funny!

01:06Hey, is this supposed to be Ariana Grande?

01:09I mean, I almost didn't recognize her there!

01:12This illusion should get its own Instagram filter, but hey, I'll finally tell you what

01:16it's all about!

01:17Ok, I've got something cool to show you.

01:20Keep your eyes glued to this image for a sec.

01:22Do you see what's happening to those edges?

01:24They're fading away, like they just disappeared into thin air, right?

01:29And then those empty spots suddenly turn greenish!

01:32This mind-boggling effect is known as the Troxler fading illusion.

01:37When you focus on one spot for too long, your brain decides to ignore the rest.

01:42It's like it's saying there's nothing new happening there, so it just tunes out for

01:45a second or two.

01:47So while you think you're soaking in the whole picture, your brain is quietly figuring out

01:51the boring bits.

01:54You've got to trust me on this one.

01:56If you keep looking long enough through these black and white dots, something, or better

02:00yet, someone, is going to appear.

02:02I'll give you a hint.

02:04This person sings and is young and beautiful.

02:07Did you get that reference?

02:09It's Lana Del Rey, ladies and gentlemen!

02:11You just need to readjust your eyes and look for the shape behind all that distraction.

02:16But there we go!

02:17Great work!

02:19Here's an unusual scene.

02:21Shakira and Miley Cyrus together in a room.

02:24But why does Shakira look like a giant and Miley look so small?

02:29In real life, Miley is taller than Shakira.

02:32Come on, I'll give you a few minutes to try to figure this one out.

02:36This is an old-school optical illusion.

02:38If you've been to a kids' museum, odds are one of the exhibits was the Ames Room.

02:44The setup makes us completely distort the perception of the scene.

02:47Let's take a look behind the scenes.

02:49The Ames Room is built with both the floor and ceiling at a certain angle which turns

02:54the room into a trapezium.

02:56When you see it, your eyes are tricked into believing both sides of the room are the same.

03:01But no, no!

03:03It all comes down to how your eyes perceive depth.

03:06If someone walks to the left hand of the room, they're actually further away and the ceiling

03:10is higher.

03:11They appear as a smaller image before your eyes.

03:14And the opposite happens on the right-hand side of the room.

03:18Alright, check out this staircase.

03:23Looks pretty normal, I know.

03:25Now let's flip it upside down.

03:27It still looks like a staircase but instead of moving from right to left, it seems to

03:31go from left to right.

03:33The secret is Y O U C A N N O T B L I N K.

03:40If you do, the illusion will vanish and you'll be back to the original image.

03:46This little brain teaser is called the Schroeder Staircase.

03:49It might seem simple but it reveals some seriously important stuff about how our brains work.

03:55If you break down the staircase, you'll see it's actually flat.

03:58What your brain interprets as a 3D image is just a clever mix of shadows and light.

04:04Basically, that 3D effect is just another optical illusion.

04:08Our brains grab images and try to make sense of them based on what we already know.

04:13So when it spots a shadow in a 2D image, it fills in the gaps and sees depth where there

04:18isn't any.

04:20In this case, it tricks us into thinking we're looking at a three-dimensional perspective.

04:24How wild is that?

04:26Wait, you don't need special goggles to understand what Adele's face is doing here.

04:32Just keep looking at the little white dot at the center of this image for a bit.

04:36Don't worry, I'll tell you when you can stop.

04:39Take your time and soak in her face.

04:43We need your full attention for just a few seconds.

04:46When I say go, I'll need you to stare directly into a white wall or a blank piece of paper.

04:51Three, two, go, now!

04:56Pretty cool, huh?

04:57This is called the negative afterimage illusion.

05:00First, you need to look at an image with inverted colors for a few seconds.

05:05Then when you turn to look at a white page or wall, you'll get to see the original

05:09image, aka Adele's beautiful face.

05:13It looks like magic, but let me explain why this is scientific.

05:18This trick happens because your eyes and brain are big fans of contrast.

05:23When they're hit with opposite colors, they try to balance things out by filling in the

05:27right colors.

05:28So even though the screen's blank, your mind plays color artist and paints the correct

05:33shades in your imagination.

05:35Oh, another one with a bunch of black and white bars.

05:39Who shall be hidden beneath it?

05:42Keep looking and you'll find it.

05:44Think of the word baby several times with some funky melody.

05:48Did you see it?

05:49I mean him.

05:51Yep, it's Ed Sheeran.

05:53Ready to get confused?

05:55Take a look at this trending optical illusion.

05:58Stare for a couple of seconds and don't move your eyes.

06:01Do you notice anything weird?

06:04So there's this grid with broken edges.

06:06If you keep looking at the center of the image for a few seconds, those broken edges magically

06:11start fixing themselves in your side vision.

06:14It's like your brain can't resist seeing patterns.

06:18This illusion was created by Ryota Kanai and was actually a finalist in the 2005 Best Illusion

06:24of the Year contest.

06:26Kanai himself explains that this illusion shows how our visual brain just loves regular

06:31patterns.

06:32Don't you just love snakes?

06:35These ones aren't scary at all.

06:37You can stare at them moving around all day long.

06:40Which direction are they moving to you?

06:42Are they moving at all?

06:44This may shock you, but these guys are stationary.

06:48It's all about those repeating asymmetrical patterns and clever color combos.

06:53They've got lighter shades like yellow and white hanging out with darker blues and blacks.

06:58This funky mix tricks your retina into sending signals to your brain, making those circles

07:03look like they're spinning.

07:05Wanna call out this illusion for what it really is?

07:08Just fix your gaze on one part of the image.

07:11Keep staring, and you'll see those circles gradually slow down and come to a stop.

07:16Neat, right?

07:17Now, the last illusion, and if this one doesn't trick your brain, I give up.

07:23Look at this photo.

07:24It's black and white, isn't it?

07:26Take your time to answer.

07:29Right now, your brain is probably trying its best to make you see colors, but please, don't

07:33fall for that.

07:35You're looking at a black and white picture with green, red, orange, yellow, and blue

07:40grid lines over it.

07:42This highly saturated color grid overlaid on a grayscale picture makes the gray cells

07:47seem colorful.

07:49But if you want to break the spell, just zoom in.

07:52This way, you'll be able to see the true colors of the original photo.

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