We rely on our senses to interpret the world around us, but they’re not as foolproof as we might think.Ever noticed how food tastes different when you can’t smell it? Or how your hands fumble with textures in the dark? Our eyes are just as easily tricked—give them anoptical illusion, and they’ll glitch out faster than an old computer.That’s what makes them so fun to mess with! To put your perception to the test, we’ve gathered some of the most mind-bending photos from thesubredditConfusing Perspectives. Check them out below, and don’t miss our conversation with cognitive scientistMark Changizion why our brains keep falling for these visual tricks.This post may includeaffiliate links.
We rely on our senses to interpret the world around us, but they’re not as foolproof as we might think.
Ever noticed how food tastes different when you can’t smell it? Or how your hands fumble with textures in the dark? Our eyes are just as easily tricked—give them anoptical illusion, and they’ll glitch out faster than an old computer.
That’s what makes them so fun to mess with! To put your perception to the test, we’ve gathered some of the most mind-bending photos from thesubredditConfusing Perspectives. Check them out below, and don’t miss our conversation with cognitive scientistMark Changizion why our brains keep falling for these visual tricks.
This post may includeaffiliate links.
RELATED:
It’s kind of humbling when you think about it—our brains are powerful, yet it doesn’t take much to trick them. A simple optical illusion is enough to throw them off. But how exactly do these illusions work? To find out,Bored Pandareached out to Mark Changizi, a cognitive scientist and author ofThe Vision RevolutionandMotorcycle Mind.
“Optical illusions occur because your brain is slow,” Changizi explains. “It takes about a tenth of a second to generate a perception, meaning that if your brain simply registered the world as it was when light hit your retina, your perception would already be outdated. In that fraction of a second, even at a slow walking speed of 1 m/s, you would have moved 10 cm. Now imagine running or catching a ball—reacting to the past wouldn’t cut it.”
“To compensate, your brain has evolved to anticipate the immediate future,” Changizi continues. “Instead of rendering a perception of the past, it predicts what will happen next and generates a perception of that future moment. By the time the perception is formed, reality has caught up, allowing you to experience the world in real-time.”
According to Changizi, many optical illusions take advantage of this predictive system.“A common example is illusions featuring radiating lines, which your brain interprets as blur streaks—like those you experience when moving forward, where the visual field expands outward, similar to the Starship Enterprise jumping to warp speed,” he says.
According to Changizi, many optical illusions take advantage of this predictive system.
“A common example is illusions featuring radiating lines, which your brain interprets as blur streaks—like those you experience when moving forward, where the visual field expands outward, similar to the Starship Enterprise jumping to warp speed,” he says.
“If you were actually passing through a tall cathedral door, for instance, its sides would appear to warp in your visual field in exactly this way—far apart at eye level but converging higher up,” says Changizi. “Your brain applies that same warping perception here, even though you’re standing still, creating the illusion.”
You might think that falling for illusions means your brain is making a mistake, but that’s not the case. In fact, these illusions prove just how advanced our brains are.“These illusions reveal how your brain processes the world in real-time,” Changizi says. “While illusions may trick you in controlled settings, in everyday life your brain is constantly receiving optic flow and other cues about how the world will change in the next moment. By using those cues to generate a perception of the immediate future, it allows you to experience the present instead of lagging behind.”
You might think that falling for illusions means your brain is making a mistake, but that’s not the case. In fact, these illusions prove just how advanced our brains are.
“These illusions reveal how your brain processes the world in real-time,” Changizi says. “While illusions may trick you in controlled settings, in everyday life your brain is constantly receiving optic flow and other cues about how the world will change in the next moment. By using those cues to generate a perception of the immediate future, it allows you to experience the present instead of lagging behind.”
“This predictive mechanism is essential for navigation, coordination, and reacting quickly to your environment,” he adds. “In short, the same system that makes illusions possible is what allows you to function seamlessly in the real world.”
Now, while we tend to call any tricky image an “optical illusion,” the photos in this list don’t actually fall into that category. What you’re seeing are ambiguous illusions, which work differently.
Take the illusion of the cat and the chicken—you’ll spot it somewhere between the lines. At first glance, it looks like one bizarre creature, a cat’s head seamlessly attached to a roasted chicken’s body. But after a moment, you realize that it’s just a cat sitting behind the bowl. Still, your brain keeps switching back and forth, unable to fully shake the first interpretation.
That’s the key difference:
At the end of the day, whether an illusion isopticalorambiguous, they both do the same thing: mess with your brain in the most fascinating way. And let’s be honest, sometimes getting tricked is half the fun. So next time you stumble upon one, take a moment to appreciate just how weird and wonderful human perception really is.
Continue reading with Bored Panda PremiumUnlimited contentAd-free browsingDark modeSubscribe nowAlready a subscriber?Sign In
Continue reading with Bored Panda Premium
Unlimited contentAd-free browsingDark mode
Unlimited content
Ad-free browsing
Dark mode
Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber?Sign In
See Also on Bored Panda
Modal closeAdd New ImageModal closeAdd Your Photo To This ListPlease use high-res photos without watermarksOoops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.Not your original work?Add sourcePublish
Modal close
Add New ImageModal closeAdd Your Photo To This ListPlease use high-res photos without watermarksOoops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.Not your original work?Add sourcePublish
Modal closeAdd Your Photo To This ListPlease use high-res photos without watermarksOoops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.Not your original work?Add sourcePublish
Add Your Photo To This ListPlease use high-res photos without watermarksOoops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.
Add Your Photo To This List
Please use high-res photos without watermarks
Ooops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.
Not your original work?Add source
Modal closeModal closeOoops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.UploadUploadError occurred when generating embed. Please check link and try again.TwitterRender conversationUse html versionGenerate not embedded versionAdd watermarkInstagramShow Image OnlyHide CaptionCropAdd watermarkFacebookShow Image OnlyAdd watermarkChangeSourceTitleUpdateAdd Image
Modal closeOoops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.UploadUploadError occurred when generating embed. Please check link and try again.TwitterRender conversationUse html versionGenerate not embedded versionAdd watermarkInstagramShow Image OnlyHide CaptionCropAdd watermarkFacebookShow Image OnlyAdd watermarkChangeSourceTitleUpdateAdd Image
Upload
UploadError occurred when generating embed. Please check link and try again.TwitterRender conversationUse html versionGenerate not embedded versionAdd watermarkInstagramShow Image OnlyHide CaptionCropAdd watermarkFacebookShow Image OnlyAdd watermark
Error occurred when generating embed. Please check link and try again.
TwitterRender conversationUse html versionGenerate not embedded versionAdd watermark
InstagramShow Image OnlyHide CaptionCropAdd watermark
FacebookShow Image OnlyAdd watermark
ChangeSourceTitle
You May Like90 Best Optical Illusion Tattoos That Play Tricks On Your EyesightAivaras Kaziukonis91 Optical Illusion Tattoos With Eye And Mind-Bending DesignsAivaras Kaziukonis79 Mind-Bendingly Epic Optical Illusion Tattoo DesignsAivaras Kaziukonis
Aivaras Kaziukonis
Art