For something so powerful, the human brain is surprisingly easy to fool. Take a photo from just the right angle, and suddenly an ordinary scene turns into a visual puzzle that has us doing a double, triple, or maybe even quadruple-take before it finally clicks.
Below, we’ve rounded up some pictures with seriously confusing perspectives. Scroll down to check them out and have fun working out what the hell is going on in each one.
#1 Did A Double Take
Image source: ILoveMyHoneybear
#2 Earth Or Another Planet?
Image source: CharacterNo3281
#3 Cat With A Hole Through Its Body
Image source: leowu77495
We tend to think of our eyes as tiny cameras that simply record whatever is in front of them. In reality, seeing is a lot more complicated and takes some serious teamwork.
For starters, light passes through the cornea and lens, which focus it onto the retina at the back of the eye, according to the National Eye Institute.
There, special cells called photoreceptors turn it into electrical signals that travel along the optic nerve to the brain, which pieces them together into the world we perceive.
#4 Reflection In Steam Iron
Image source: LivelyWallflower
#5
Image source: Extra-Perception-447
#6 This Surreal Puddle In A Parking Garage
Image source: georgefourmens
Since the brain does all that work, it’s also the part that gets fooled by weird pictures and visual illusions. Scientists still aren’t sure exactly why this happens, but one leading theory, which researchers are still debating, is called predictive processing.
The idea, first suggested by German physicist Hermann von Helmholtz in the 1860s, is that your brain uses past experience to guess what you’re looking at.
So when you come across an odd photo, your mind instantly compares it to things you’ve seen before and lands on the most likely answer. If the picture breaks the usual rules, that answer turns out wrong, which is why it takes a second look to figure out what’s going on.
#7 The Cat Is Explaining About The Weather
Image source: MajinDaigaEx
#8 This Truck Carrying A Heavy Load
Image source: BOC16
#9 This Plastic Bag Looks Exactly Like A Cat
Image source: Anonymous
Depth perception also plays a big role in how we see. The image that lands on the retina is flat, so the brain has to figure out how far away things are using clues like perspective lines and the size of familiar objects.
For example, when a person walks toward you, your brain understands they’re getting closer because it knows how tall people usually are. Photos can mess with this system, since the right camera angle can make near and far objects look like they’re right next to each other.
#10 Forbidden Avocado
Image source: Anonymous
#11 Forbidden Mac And Cheese
Image source: wretched_and_divine
#12 Phone Case
Image source: Anonymous
Our brains rely on these depth clues so much that even simple sketches can trick us. In the famous Ponzo illusion, two identical bars sit between slanted tracks, and the top one looks bigger because the tracks make it seem farther away.
The Müller-Lyer drawing works in a similar way, so two equal lines look like different lengths.
#13 Doge With Human Legs
Image source: Next_Airport_7230
#14
Image source: Anonymous
#15 A Mother Bird Sheltering Her Children
Image source: Anna Duweh
In the 1930s, ophthalmologist Adelbert Ames Jr. built a special room, later known as the Ames room, to show how depth perception can play tricks on us. Through a peephole, it looks perfectly ordinary, but its walls are actually uneven.
Since your brain assumes the space is a regular rectangle, people inside seem to grow or shrink as they walk across it. The Lord of the Rings even used this setup to make the hobbits look tiny next to Gandalf.
#16 Rope Fingers
Image source: Ghosttwo
#17 Bert From Sesame Street Spotted On The Street
Image source: tFighterPilot
#18 Crowd At A Concert
Image source: qwartet
Lighting also plays a huge part in how we see things, and nothing proves it better than The Dress. Back in 2015, the whole internet lost its mind arguing over whether it was blue and black or white and gold. Good times.
As it turns out, there’s a simple reason everyone was so divided. The photo showed very little of the surroundings, so our brains had to fill in the lighting on their own.
According to color scientists, anyone who assumed the dress was sitting in shadow saw white and gold, while those who imagined a bright, yellowish glow saw blue and black. For the record, the second group was right.
#19 When I Opened The Trunk, I Freaked Out Thinking Someone Stole The Cover And The Spare Tire. Then I’ve Remembered That I Bought A Mirror
Image source: d0bdish18
#20 Do You See The Dinosaur?
Image source: aresobeautiful2mee
#21 Human Collider
Image source: DumpsterFlyer
Of course, photographers know all about these quirks and use them on purpose to create eye-catching photos. One popular example is tilt-shift photography, which keeps only a small part of the picture sharp and blurs the rest. Since we usually see that kind of blur in close-ups of tiny objects, real streets and cities suddenly look like toy models.
Double exposure is another old trick that layers two shots into one image, and it’s been around since the 1860s. Depending on how the images line up, the result can feel dreamy or downright confusing.
#22 My Nephew Is Half Dog Half Boy
Image source: racecarjohnny2825
#23 Catdog
Image source: FinnRazzel
#24 Brother In Law Having A Nap By The Creek
Image source: grug-grug-grug
Whatever the exact science behind it turns out to be, our brains being so easy to fool means we get to have a lot of fun with it. With the right angle or a bit of lucky timing, an ordinary moment can turn into a confusing and often hilarious picture.
You can always try making your own, too, since most of these tricks don’t require any special equipment. In the meantime, see how many of the pics below you can crack on the first look.
#25 Brasilia Is A Very Good Name
Image source: Jimbrutan
#26 Gigantic Boy Descends Upon A Serene Lakeshore
Image source: Litcandle1
#27 Thats Heavy
Image source: bustyandfit
#28 My Puppy With Human Feet!
Image source: airlee77
#29 This Had To Have Been Done On Purpose
Image source: ckat
#30 Part Mole/ Part Teacher
Image source: Profego
#31 That’s A Loooooong Cat
Image source: filthyleaf
#32 Bob Ross In My Burrito
Image source: leahleonarddd
#33 My Sneaker Matches My Gyms Floor
Image source: Osirisk
#34 This Non-Smoking Post Looks Like A Cigarette
Image source: handy_dandy_andy
#35 It Looks Like There’s A Dog Trapped In This Tree
Image source: jellyclaws
#36 Half A Girl Doing Her Hair On The Balcony
Image source: hnbistro
#37 He Was A Giant Among Men
Image source: onephatkatt
#38 Was Trying To Figure Out Why This Guy Wouldn’t Stop Staring At Me From His Car. Turns Out It’s Just An Advertisement On The Car Behind It
Image source: Anonymous
#39 The Reflections Of Ceiling Lights Appear To Be Alien Ships Descending On Shreveport
Image source: SoVeryKerry
#40 The Mythical Annubis
Image source: Palifaith
#41 Confusing Perspective
Image source: Leading_Choice_2465
#42 3D Crochet Blanket
Image source: seatypeet
#43 These Mugs
Image source: 3vts
#44 It Looks Like A Mockup Or A Giant, But It’s Just Me On The Second Floor Of The College
Image source: joalllucas
#45 Medical Dummy Looks Like Zuckerberg
Image source: fes9943
#46 My New Phone Case
Image source: Lars_El
#47 Get Your Horse On A Boat
Image source: Reasonable-Fishing85
#48 The Side Of The Building Is Reflecting The Sky So Perfectly That It Looks Like It’s Two Dimensional
Image source: OxySempra
#49 This Is Wall Lake
Image source: movingcloser
#50 See-Through Newspaper?
Image source: NortonBurns
#51 Mutant Goat?
Image source: Earl_E_DeMise
#52 The Cerberus Starter Pack
Image source: CatCreampie
#53 Mount Chimberazo, No Clouds
Image source: Roku80
#54 I Now Pronounce You Man And Horse Wife
Image source: DesperateAsk7091
#55
Image source: Anonymous
#56 I Just Don’t Get It
Image source: Anonymous
#57 Got A Little Maine Coon Baby This Weekend, And Her Ears + My Beard Made For A Little Confusion!
Image source: lasermuffin
#58 Demon Dog, The Anti Good Boy
Image source: Petercsa99
#59 I Found A Cicada With The Mcdonald’s Logo On It
Image source: cadensara
#60 My Jalapeño Had A Nice Profile Shot
Image source: D3v1n0
#61 Looks Like This Cat Has Tiny Arms
Image source: pigtail21
#62 Standing Tall, Thinking Small
Image source: onephatkatt
#63 Made-A-Wish
Image source: onephatkatt
#64 Missing Foot
Image source: brucecamp4
#65 Weird Throw Pillow
Image source: blarkleK
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