How Optical Illusions Trick Our Brains
Optical illusions, whether used in a magic show or beautiful illustration, can be mind-boggling, and it’s amazing how little we can do to see through them. This is how these illusions work and why they affect us so much.
Most optical illusions use the way our eyes and brain process visual information to trick us into seeing or not seeing certain patterns or images. Many people use these three easy-to-use areas:
- Blind Spot : This is where nerves and blood vessels connect to the eye, so you don’t have cells there to process what you see. You cannot see anything that is in this place. Illusions take advantage of this when you close your eyes and look at an object, causing something else in your blind spot to disappear.
- Peripheral Vision : When you focus on one point, your brain often fills in what you have with your peripheral vision, which means details can be missed.
- Mental Filtering : Your brain makes assumptions based on memory, expectations, and what you’ve learned. An example of this is when you read a sentence with repeated words or encrypted words without losing understanding.
For the most part, your brain filters in such a way that it processes information as quickly as possible (so you can respond) and so that you are not overwhelmed by visual stimuli. Watch the video above to try out specific optical illusions.
You Can’t See It (SANE Tricks) | ASAP Science (YouTube)