Optical illusions can be quite the mind-boggling experience. Growing up, there were plenty of images with colors and patterns meant to confuse your brain, which you would then share in a chain email with all your school friends.
Now, things are a little more… refined. You look at something and see something else entirely until your brain finally makes sense of what’s happening. But with cellphones, we can capture and share these mind-boggling moments online, which is exactly what some people did. So, here’s a selection of optical illusions that made us look twice at a picture.
#1 A Hole On A Door At My Work Looks Like Something Out Of A Movie (Not Edited At All)
Image source: bakedae
#2 Bird Camouflaged To Look Like Pine Cone
Image source: rey7james
#3 The Actual Schrodinger’s Cat
Image source: Genesis_the_god_
Here’s what’s curious about looking at these images and seeing something else entirely: it’s not necessarily a vision issue.
It turns out there’s a delay between light hitting your retina and your brain processing that signal. To keep you from constantly living in the past, your brain uses a predictive system called “predictive coding” to guess what the world will look like a tenth of a second from now. And when we look at these images, our brains get it wrong, causing us to see distorted versions of what’s actually there.
#4 Oh No There’s A Hole In The Cat
Image source: SamMac62
#5 There’s A Car In This Photo
Image source: LazyPaleontologist
#6 I Forgot To Water My Pet Cactus
Image source: jebaitedlel
#7 A Man In South Dakota Proposed To His Fiancé While A Tornado Swirled Right Behind Them
Image source: Subject-Property-343
Because our eyes are such a fascinating part of the body, researchers have spent quite a bit of time studying them. One particular study led by the University of Oslo found an optical illusion that can trick both your brain and your eyes.
It’s called the “expanding hole” illusion. When you look at the center of the black circle in the image, your pupils naturally dilate. That’s because the illusion tricks your brain into thinking you’re entering a dark tunnel, causing your pupils to expand to let in more light. The catch? There’s no tunnel at all.
#8 Been Marinating This Turkey Breast For A Couple Days Now It’s Time To Smoke It
Image source: forddman0
#9 Uncontacted Man From North Sentinel Island Warns Approaching Visitors
Image source: tmesisno
#10 I Thought My 3 Year Old Threw Something At The TV. It Was Just A Picture Of Syria On The Screensaver
Image source: FlipGordon
#11 Half A Girl Doing Her Hair On The Balcony
Image source: hnbistro
But here’s the thing: not everyone sees things the same way. Psychologists say not all human brains interpret optical illusions the same way. For example, Westerners are apparently susceptible to the Müller-Lyer illusion, where two lines of equal length appear different because of the arrows pointing inward or outward at their ends.
However, one study found that members of some Indigenous groups were far less likely to fall for it. The reason? People who grow up in Western urban societies are surrounded by right angles and architectural corners, which may condition their brains to interpret certain angles as depth cues. Those raised in more open, natural environments, by contrast, may not develop the same subconscious bias.
#12 A Horse Split
Image source: YoggieD
#13 Can’t Park There Mate
Image source: whet_pastry
#14 Wooly Snake
Image source: sh0tgunben
#15 Floating Horse Head
Image source: sekiroborne
#16 Confusing Hairwash
Image source: Sinkencronge
#17 This Baby Polar Bear’s Face Looks Like It Was Photoshopped To It’s Mother’s Side
Image source: Character-Q
Optical illusions aren’t just fun and games, though. Some atmospheric scientists and historians have theorized that an optical illusion called “Fata Morgana,” a mirage caused by a temperature inversion, may have played a role in the Titanic disaster.
The mirage could have created a false horizon by blurring the boundary between the sea and the sky. This may explain why the lookouts failed to spot the iceberg until it was too late. Of course, it was also extremely dark that night, which could have made the iceberg even harder to see.
#18 The Two Faces Of Humidity
Image source: CodeName_Burner
#19 Jabba The Bag
Image source: illuminati2000
#20 Almost Every Morning My Coat Hanger Gives Me A Mini Heart Attack
Image source: EliptekMusic
#21 Little Sundog
Image source: DJA1982
And well, some people even use optical illusions to their advantage. During World War I, for instance, ships were painted with patterns designed to distort perspective rather than hide them completely. This technique was known as “Dazzle camouflage.” Its bold geometric shapes made it extremely difficult for enemy rangefinders to accurately judge a ship’s speed and distance.
But now, let us know, Pandas: which of these images was your favorite? Have you ever been fooled by perspective or an optical illusion? Tell us all about it in the comments!
#22 Hi Ho Hi Ho It’s Off To Work I Go
Image source: Fragrant-Age4424
#23 The Ceiling Vent In My Hotel Room’s Bathroom
Image source: ye3tm4ster
#24 Thought You Guys Here Might Appreciate
Image source: denjo-t1aO
#25 Am I Drunk Or Does The Foam In My Glass Look Exactly Like Scooby Doo?
Image source: Flying-Jhaat
#26 It Took Me An Hour To Find My Shoes
Image source: midwestasallheck
#27 One Tree Or…?
Image source: FaceUnseen
#28 This Picture Is Not Edited
Image source: Conscious-Gap8021
#29 Fluffy Pillow
Image source: Outrageous_Spare1584
#30 A Sweet Potato Dug Up From A Garden
Image source: Maya-kardash
#31 When You Clean Out The Tablesaw After A Few Jobs It Looks Straight Up Geological
Image source: happierpanda2020
#32 A Complicated Dice Game My Girlfriend Is Teaching Me
Image source: yagars
#33 Neighbours Installed Floodlights, I Now Have Wallpaper
Image source: PeteZed
#34 I, For One, Welcome Our Robot Overlords (My Cat – Original Content)
Image source: mercy-purple
#35 Two Pairs Of Green Eyes. No Photoshop. Stunning
Image source: parisien96
#36 Holding A Plane
#37 The Label Putter-Onner Put The Pickle Labels On Upside Down
Image source: Lil-Mac-13
#38 Blursed Cake
Image source: anonymous
#39 Took This Pic Last Night In Night Mode And Zoomed In. What Is That?
Image source: drippyonMcdsWifi
#40 There Is A Truck In This Photo
Image source: Genesis_the_god_
#41 Blueberryseas
Image source: ToEasyLoL
#42 Tracing Design Looks Like It Overlaps
Image source: FancyFeline23
#43 The Feet Are Pressed In The Sand, Not Sculpted…
Image source: Ewallux
#44 Goodbye And Thanks For All The Fish
Image source: thered8469
#45 Is There A Soul Trapped In My Ice Water?
Image source: immanuellalala
#46 Trees Resemble A Horse
Image source: DaseNarch
#47 Wine Spill Giraffe
Image source: Locxley
#48 Flight Of Fancy
Image source: corwinw
#49 I See You
Image source: Flowesque
#50 I Still Can’t Believe This Shadow Was Formed!
Image source: Passionate_HSP
#51 Brightness Slider
Image source: StickyIcky88
#52 Duplication Glitch Confirmed
Parked my car after shift, when I went back out a couple hours later there were 3 others almost exactly the same model and the exact colour parked around mine, couldn’t believe my eyes.
Image source: Super_Seesaw_1524
#53 Teeth
Image source: Opposite_Map2027
#54 Grapefruit Peacock
Image source: Additional_Line_2834
#55 Storm In Wetterau, Germany
Image source: Monsur_Ausuhnom
#56 A Picture Found Of Dusk
Image source: Monsur_Ausuhnom
#57 Half Of A Dog
Image source: Extreme-Package-1935
#58 Static Tatoo With “Shaking” Effect By Scott Campbell
Image source: fruity_jello24
#59 There Are 9 Steps Here
Image source: JDMWeeb
#60 Tree Illusion
Saw this one night. Looks like the tree has shaped itself round the light but it was nothing but an illusion.
Image source: Western-Luck-5042
#61 Does Anyone Else See The Image Split Into Two Parts
Image source: Pengwin____
#62 Almost Ate This Pepperoni Pizza
Image source: Moist_Exercise3476
#63 Big Dog
Image source: mgbgtv8
#64 Blending With Environment
Image source: Icy_Till_7254
#65 To Make A Cute Panorama Picture
Image source: Comrade_V
#66 Go Go Gadget Arm
Image source: anonymous
#67 This Recycling Bin Likes To Play Tricks
#68 This Kitty Has A Giant Leg! Not
#69 Odd Piece Of Quartz I Found In The Ardennes, Belgium
Image source: arazac
#70 Confusing Perspective
Image source: Leading_Choice_2465
#71 Preikestolen Or “The Pulpit Rock” In Norway Is A Steep Cliff Which Rises 604 Metres (1,982 Ft) Above Lysefjorden – Shot By Niels Brev
Image source: GoodMorningib
#72 Dogtaur, Ruler Of The Kitchens
Image source: Pirate_Redbeard
#73 Holding A Log
#74 Einstein – Rose Wormhole
Image source: Little-Vermicelli-27
#75 Blursed Perspective
Image source: Gurtek86
#76 Aurora Rendering Issue. Anyone Else Experiencing This?
Image source: anonymous
#77 Amazing Picture! Zoom In!
Image source: anonymous
#78 Highest Tram Ever
Image source: spaham
#79 Special Doggo
Image source: ArmokPL
#80 Lines And Chairs
Image source: neo4025
#81 This Couple
Image source: Holiday-Ad3427
#82 This Is A Single Image
Image source: Genesis_the_god_
#83 A Lobster In A Bucket Looks Like A Giant Monster On A Metallic Planet, With Water Droplets Resembling Stars
Image source: BugReport13
#84 This Guy’s Pants
Image source: TipSecure8834
#85 Desk Seen On Fb Marketplace
Image source: Ruthfullyig
#86 Red Lipstick
Image source: Algrinder
#87 Clouds Looks Like Ocean Waves
Image source: Swimming-Employee537
#88 Nap Time
Image source: ToEasyLoL
#89 A Bin In The Street
Image source: Plane-Football-2521
#90 Resting On A Motorbike
Image source: nano_705
#91 Cat Being Octopus
Image source: Zestyclose-Salad-290
#92 Without A Shadow Of A Doubt
Image source: BreakfastTop6899
#93 Terrestrial Space Walk
Image source: Dystopia-The-End
#94 Psa: Do Not Get Front Row Tickets To The Michael Movie
Image source: theactualsettingsapp
#95 Two In One
Image source: vhanime
#96 Daft Trunk
Image source: Jozlaw
#97 Minotaur Lurking In The Shadows
Image source: YoggieD
#98 Can Someone Explain This? Am I Just An Idiot? How Does The Reflection Come Out Like This? Several Photos. All The Same
Image source: Background-Duck8899
#99 There Was A Clipping Issue
Image source: hob_prophet
#100 That’s One Big Hat
Image source: BookAffectionate7936
#101 Can You Find The Cellphone?
Image source: quixoticgurl
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