Optical deception and optical illusions. The most incredible optical illusions. These cars look like they're different sizes

11/15/2016 11/19/2019 by Vlad

An optical illusion is an impression of a visible object or phenomenon that does not correspond to reality, i.e. optical illusion. Translated from Latin, the word “illusion” means “error, delusion.” This suggests that illusions have long been interpreted as some kind of malfunction in the visual system. Many researchers have been studying the reasons for their occurrence. Some visual illusions have long had a scientific explanation, while others have not yet been explained.

Don't take optical illusions seriously, trying to understand and solve them, it's just how our vision works. This is how the human brain processes visible light reflected from pictures.
Unusual shapes and combinations of these pictures make it possible to achieve a deceptive perception, as a result of which it seems that the object is moving, changing color, or an additional picture appears.

There are a huge variety of optical illusions, but we tried to collect the most interesting, crazy and incredible ones for you. Be careful: some of them can cause tearing, nausea and disorientation.

12 black dots

For starters, one of the most talked about illusions on the internet is the 12 black dots. The trick is that you can't see them at the same time. A scientific explanation for this phenomenon was discovered by the German physiologist Ludimar Hermann in 1870. The human eye stops seeing the full picture due to lateral inhibition in the retina.

Impossible figures

At one time, this genre of graphics became so widespread that it even received its own name - impossibilism. Each of these figures seems quite real on paper, but simply cannot exist in the physical world.

Impossible trident

Classic blivet– perhaps the most striking representative of optical drawings from the “impossible figures” category. No matter how you try, you will not be able to determine where the middle prong originates.

Another striking example is the impossible Penrose triangle.

It is in the form of the so-called "endless staircase".

And "impossible elephant" Roger Shepard.

Ames room

Issues of optical illusions interested Adelbert Ames Jr. from early childhood. After becoming an ophthalmologist, he continued his research into depth perception, which resulted in the famous Ames Room.

How does the Ames room work?

In a nutshell, the effect of Ames's room can be conveyed as follows: it seems that in the left and right corners of its back wall there are two people - a dwarf and a giant. Of course, this is an optical trick, and in fact these people are of quite normal height. In reality, the room has an elongated trapezoidal shape, but due to false perspective it appears rectangular to us. The left corner is farther away from the visitors’ view than the right, and therefore the person standing there seems so small.

Movement Illusions

This category of optical tricks is of greatest interest to psychologists. Most of them are based on the subtleties of color combinations, the brightness of objects and their repetition. All these tricks mislead our peripheral vision, as a result of which the perception mechanism gets confused, the retina captures the image intermittently, spasmodically, and the brain activates the areas of the cortex responsible for recognizing movement.

floating star

It's hard to believe that this picture is not an animated GIF, but an ordinary optical illusion. The drawing was created by Japanese artist Kaya Nao in 2012. A pronounced illusion of movement is achieved due to the opposite direction of the patterns in the center and along the edges.

There are quite a few similar illusions of movement, that is, static images that appear to be moving. For example, famous rotating circle.

Moving arrows

Rays from the center

Striped spirals

Moving figures

These figures move at the same speed, but our vision tells us otherwise. In the first gif, four figures move simultaneously while they are adjacent to each other. After separation, the illusion arises that they are moving along black and white stripes independently of each other.

After the zebra disappears in the second picture, you can verify that the movement of the yellow and blue rectangles is synchronized.

Changeling illusions

The most numerous and fun genre of illusion drawings is based on changing the direction of looking at a graphic object. The simplest inverted drawings just need to be rotated 180 or 90 degrees.

Horse or frog

Nurse or old woman

Beauty or Ugly

Cute girls?

Flip the image

Girl/old woman

One of the most popular dual images was published in 1915 in the cartoon magazine Puck. The caption to the drawing read: “My wife and mother-in-law.”

The most famous optical illusions: old woman girl and vase profiles

Old people/Mexicans

An elderly couple or Mexicans singing with a guitar? Most people see old people first, and only then their eyebrows turn into sombreros and their eyes into faces. The authorship belongs to the Mexican artist Octavio Ocampo, who created many illusion pictures of a similar nature.

Lovers/dolphins

Surprisingly, the interpretation of this psychological illusion depends on the person’s age. As a rule, children see dolphins frolicking in the water - their brains, not yet familiar with sexual relationships and their symbols, simply do not isolate two lovers in this composition. Older people, on the contrary, see the couple first, and only then the dolphins.

The list of such dual pictures can be continued endlessly:

Does this cat go down or up the stairs?

Which way is the window open?

You can change direction just by thinking about it.

Illusions of color and contrast

Unfortunately, the human eye is imperfect, and in our assessments of what we see (without noticing it ourselves) we often rely on the color environment and brightness of the background of the object. This leads to some very interesting optical illusions.

Gray squares

Optical illusions of colors are one of the most popular types of optical illusion. Yes, squares A and B are painted the same color.

This trick is possible due to the way our brain works. A shadow without sharp boundaries falls on square B. Thanks to the darker "surrounding" and the smooth shadow gradient, it appears to be significantly darker than square A.

Green spiral

There are only three colors in this photo: pink, orange and green.

The blue color here is just an optical illusion

Don't believe me? This is what you get when you replace pink and orange with black.

Without a distracting background, you can see that the spiral is completely green

Is the dress white and gold or blue and black?

However, illusions based on color perception are not uncommon. Take, for example, the white-gold or black-and-blue dress that conquered the Internet in 2015. What color was this mysterious dress really, and why did different people perceive it differently?

The explanation of the dress phenomenon is very simple: as in the case of gray squares, everything depends on the imperfect chromatic adaptation of our visual organs. As you know, the human retina consists of two types of receptors: rods and cones. Rods capture light better, while cones capture color better. Each person has a different ratio of cones to rods, so the determination of the color and shape of an object is slightly different depending on the dominance of one or another type of receptor.

Those who saw the dress as white and gold noticed the brightly lit background and decided that the dress was in the shadows, which means the white color should be darker than usual. If the dress seemed blue-black to you, it means that your eye first of all paid attention to the main color of the dress, which in this photo actually has a blue tint. Then your brain judged that the golden hue was black, lightened due to the sun's rays directed at the dress and the poor quality of the photo.

In reality the dress was blue with black lace.

And here is another photo that baffled millions of users who could not decide whether it was a wall in front of them or a lake.

Wall or lake? (correct answer is wall)

Optical illusions on video

Ballerina

This crazy optical illusion is misleading: it is difficult to determine which leg of the figure is the supporting leg and, as a result, to understand in which direction the ballerina is rotating. Even if you succeed, while watching the video the supporting leg may “change” and the girl seems to begin to rotate in the other direction.

If you were able to easily fix the direction of the ballerina’s movement, this indicates a rational, practical mindset of your mind. If the ballerina rotates in different directions, this means that you have a wild, not always consistent imagination. Contrary to popular belief, this does not affect the dominance of the right or left hemisphere.

Monster faces

If you look at the cross in the center for a long time, your peripheral vision will frighteningly distort the faces of celebrities.

Optical illusions in design

An optical illusion can be a spectacular help for those who want to add zest to their home. Very often “impossible figures” are used in design.

It seemed that the impossible triangle was doomed to remain just an illusion on paper. But no - a design studio from Valencia immortalized it in the form of a spectacular minimalist vase.

Bookshelf inspired by the impossible trident. The author is Norwegian designer Bjorn Blikstad.

Here is a shelving unit inspired by one of the most famous optical illusions – parallel lines by Johann Zellner. All the shelves are parallel to each other - otherwise what would be the use of such a cabinet - but even those who purchased such a rack a long time ago find it difficult to get rid of the impression of slanted lines.

The creators were inspired by the same example. Zellner rug».

Of interest to lovers of unusual things is a chair designed by Chris Duffy. It appears to rest solely on its front legs. But if you risk sitting on it, you will understand that the shadow cast by the chair is its main support.

It's time to do some eye exercises, have fun and stretch your imagination! In this collection you will find bright and unpredictable pictures and very interesting puzzles for those who like to double-check everything in person. The same drawing may contain several subjects at once, and some images may seem “alive.” Don't worry, this is completely normal.

25. Is this a vase or human faces?

Here are two different scenes in one picture at the same time. Some people see a bowl or a figurine, while others see people looking at each other. It's all about perception and focus. Switching from one plot to another is a good exercise for the eyes.

24. Bring the image first closer to your face, and then back


Photo: Nevit Dilmen

It may seem to you that the ball becomes voluminous and even takes on color. Be careful, they say that if you look at this drawing for too long, you may get a headache.

23. Wriggling figures


Photo: Wikipedia

At first, you may think that the columns and rows of white and green polygons are writhing, like a flag or waves. But if you hold a ruler up to the screen, you will realize that all the figures are located in strict order and in a straight line, both vertically and horizontally. In the picture, all angles are equal to either 90 degrees or 45. Don’t believe your eyes, as they say.

22. Moving circles


Photo: Cmglee

For some, a simple glance is enough to immediately notice the movement, while others will have to wait a little. But sooner or later you will definitely feel that the circles in this picture are rotating. In fact, this is an ordinary picture, and not an animation at all, but ours has a hard time coping with such a set of colors and shapes at the same time, and it’s easier for him to decide that something is rotating on the screen.

21. Red lines on a colored background


Photo: Wikipedia

The red lines in the picture appear to be curved, but it is easy to prove otherwise with a simple ruler or even a piece of paper. In fact, this optical illusion is achieved using an intricate pattern in the background.

20. Black tops or bottoms of bars


Photo: Wikipedia

Of course, the black edges are the tops of the drawn bricks. Although wait... No, that’s not true! Or so? It’s not easy to figure it out, although the picture doesn’t change at all, unlike our perception.

19. Optical plug

Photo: Wikipedia

This drawing is a little reminiscent of the picture from point 23, only now there is also a giant fork. Although if you look closely, it may turn out to be something completely different...

18. Yellow lines


Photo: Wikipedia

Believe it or not, but in the image there are 2 yellow lines of exactly the same length. The deceptive prospect of black bars can be confusing, but we advise you to take up the ruler again.

17. Spinning Circles


Photo: Fibonacci

If you look strictly at the black dot in the center of the picture and do not move your head, circles around it will begin to rotate. Try it!

16. Moving squiggles


Photo: PublicDomainPictures.net

This psychedelic picture is a real mystery for our brain. To peripheral vision, it always seems that some kind of movement is happening around the edges. No matter how hard you try, the squiggles will still move somewhere nearby, and not where you are looking.

15. Gray stripe


Photo: Dodek

It probably seems to you that the stripe in the center changes its color from one end to the other, as if someone’s shadow is falling on it. In fact, the center line is one, and the easiest way to check this is with 2 sheets of paper. Cover the top and bottom of the drawing and you'll see what it's all about. The only thing that changes in this image is the background color.

14. Black shadows


Photo: Wikipedia

Fascinating picture! It either dazzles your eyes or makes you dizzy, so don’t look at the screen for too long.

13. Fluttering pattern


Photo: Aaron Fulkerson / flickr

It feels like the wind is blowing across the surface of the field... But no, this is definitely not a GIF. Although it’s hard to believe if you look at the image, moving your gaze from one point to another. If you look strictly in the center, the picture should gradually freeze or at least slow down.

12. Triangles and lines


Photo: Wikipedia

These rows of stuck triangles appear uneven, as if they were spaced diagonally. In fact, they are still drawn parallel to each other. Is there a line?

11. Cow


Photo: John McCrone

Yes, it's a cow. Seeing it is not so easy, and sometimes it takes a little time, but if you look closely, you will definitely see not only random lines and spots, but also an animal. Do you see?

10. Drowning floor

Photo: markldiaz/flickr

It may seem as if the center of the picture is drowning or being pulled in by something. In fact, all the squares are the same size and shape, they are located evenly and do not float anywhere. The illusion of distortion is created by white dots along the edges of some squares.

9. Old woman or young girl?

Photo: Wikipedia

And this is a very old, almost classic, optical illusion. Everyone manages to solve the picture differently. Some people stubbornly see a young girl with beautiful cheekbones, while others are immediately struck by the huge nose of an old woman. But if you try, you can see them both. It turns out?

8. Blackheads


Photo: Wikipedia

This optical illusion gives the impression that small black dots are constantly moving in the painting. When you look at different parts of the drawing, they either appear at the intersection of lines or disappear. How many points can you see at the same time? It's very difficult to calculate!

7. Green whirlwind


Photo: Fiestoforo

If you look at this picture long enough, it may seem as if you are being sucked into a vortex funnel! But this is a regular flat image, not a GIF. It's all about optical illusion and our brain. Again.

6. More spinning circles


Photo: markldiaz/flickr

Here's another absolutely stunning variation on a static image. Due to the complex colors and shapes of the details of the design, it seems that the circles are rotating, but in reality this is not the case.

5. Poggendorff illusion


Photo: Fibonacci

Here is a classic optical illusion, named after the German physicist I. K. Poggendorf. The answer lies in the location of the black line. If you look at the left side of the picture, it seems that the blue line should be a continuation of the black one, but on the right side of the picture you can see that it is the red stripe that completes it.

4. Blue flowers


Photo: Nevit Dilmen

Another optical illusion that will seem like a gif to you. If you look at this drawing long enough, the flowers will begin to spin.

3. The Orbison Illusion


Photo: Wikipedia

This is another very old optical illusion, drawn by the American psychologist Orbison back in the 30s of the 20th century. The red diamond in the center is actually a perfect square, but the background blue lines make it look like it's a little warped or rotated.

1. Zöllner optical illusion


Photo: Fibonacci

Here is another classic example of a geometric illusion, in which long diagonal lines appear to be pointing in different directions. In fact, they are parallel to each other, but short strokes across the lines confuse our brain and create a sense of perspective. Astrophysicist Zöllner drew this illusion back in 1860!

People have been familiar with optical illusions for thousands of years. The Romans made 3D mosaics to decorate their homes, the Greeks used perspective to build beautiful pantheons, and at least one Paleolithic stone figurine depicts two different animals that can be seen depending on your point of view.

Mammoth and bison

A lot can get lost on the way from your eyes to your brain. In most cases this system works great. Your eyes move rapidly and almost imperceptibly from side to side, delivering scattered pictures of what is happening to your brain. The brain organizes them, determines the context, putting the puzzle pieces together into something that makes sense.

For example, you are standing on a street corner, cars are passing through a pedestrian crossing, and the traffic light is red. Pieces of information add up to a conclusion: now is not the best time to cross the street. Most of the time this works great, but sometimes, even though your eyes are sending visual signals, your brain is trying to decipher them.

In particular, this often happens when templates are involved. Our brain needs them to process information faster, using less energy. But these same patterns can lead him astray.

As you can see in the image of the chessboard illusion, the brain doesn't like to change patterns. When small specks change the pattern of a single chess square, the brain begins to interpret them as a large bulge in the center of the board.

Chess board

The brain also often makes mistakes about color. The same color can look different on different backgrounds. In the image below, both of the girl's eyes are the same color, but by changing the background, one appears blue.

Illusion with color

The next optical illusion is the Cafe Wall Illusion.

Cafe wall

Researchers at the University of Bristol discovered this illusion in 1970 thanks to a mosaic wall in a cafe, which is where it gets its name.

The gray lines between the rows of black and white squares appear to be at an angle, but in fact they are parallel to each other. Your brain, confused by the contrasting and closely spaced squares, sees the gray lines as part of a mosaic, above or below the squares. As a result, the illusion of a trapezoid is created.

Scientists suggest that the illusion is created due to the joint action of neural mechanisms at different levels: retinal neurons and neurons of the visual cortex.

The illusion with arrows has a similar mechanism of action: the white lines are actually parallel, although they do not seem so. But here the brain is confused by the contrast of colors.

Illusion with arrows

An optical illusion can also be created due to perspective, for example, like the chessboard illusion.

Illusion with perspective

Due to the fact that the brain is familiar with the laws of perspective, it seems to you that the distant blue line is longer than the green one in the foreground. In fact they are the same length.

The next type of optical illusion is pictures in which two images can be found.

Bouquet of violets and Napoleon's face

In this painting, hidden between the flowers are the faces of Napoleon, his second wife Marie-Louise of Austria and their son. Such images are used to develop attention. Found faces?

Here is another picture with a double image called “My Wife and Mother-in-Law.”

Wife and mother-in-law

It was invented by William Ely Hill in 1915 and published in the American satirical magazine Puck.

The brain can also add color to pictures, as in the case of the fox illusion.

Fox illusion

If you look at the left side of the fox picture for a while and then move your gaze to the right side, it will turn from white to reddish. Scientists still do not know what causes such illusions.

Here's another illusion with color. Look at the woman's face for 30 seconds and then look at a white wall.

Illusion with a woman's face

Unlike the fox illusion, in this case the brain inverts the colors - you see a projection of a face on a white background that acts as a movie screen.

Here's a visual demonstration of how our brain processes visual information. In this incomprehensible mosaic of faces, you can easily recognize Bill and Hillary Clinton.

Bill and Hillary Clinton

The brain creates an image from pieces of information received. Without this ability, we would not be able to drive a car or cross the road safely.

The last illusion is two colored cubes. Is the orange cube inside or outside?

Cube illusion

Depending on your point of view, the orange cube may be inside the blue cube or floating on the outside. This illusion works due to your perception of depth, and the interpretation of the picture depends on what your brain considers true.

As you can see, despite the fact that our brain copes well with everyday tasks, in order to deceive it, it is enough to break the established pattern, use contrasting colors or the desired perspective.

Do you think this is often the case in real life?

Optical illusions are nothing more than an optical illusion of our brain. After all, when we look at a picture, our eye sees one thing, but the brain begins to protest and claim that this is not at all what it is. So it turns out that illusions are created by our mind, which begins to analyze the color, the position of the light source, the location of edges or corners, etc. Thanks to this, the correction of visual images occurs.
Be careful! Some illusions can cause tearing, headaches and disorientation in space.

Invisible chair. The optical effect, which gives the viewer a false impression of the location of the seat, is due to the original design of the chair, invented by the French studio Ibride.

Volumetric Rubik's Cube. The drawing looks so realistic that there is no doubt that this is a real object. Twisting the piece of paper, it becomes obvious that this is just a deliberately distorted image.

This is not an animated gif. This is an ordinary picture, all elements of which are absolutely motionless. It is your perception that is playing with you. Hold your gaze for a few seconds at one point, and the picture will stop moving.

Look at the cross in the center. Peripheral vision turns beautiful faces into monsters.

Flying cube. What looks like a real cube floating in the air is actually a drawing on a stick.

Eye? A shot from photographer Liamm, who was filming a foam sink but soon realized it was an eye staring back at him.

Which direction does the wheel spin?

Hypnosis. Stare without blinking at the middle of the image for 20 seconds, and then move your gaze to someone’s face or just a wall.

Four circles. Be careful! This optical illusion can cause headaches lasting up to two hours.

Ordering squares. The four white lines appear to be moving randomly. But once you put images of squares on them, everything becomes quite natural.

The birth of animation. Animated images by overlaying a grid of black parallel lines on the finished drawing. Before our eyes, static objects begin to move.

If an adult is quite calm about the brain’s distortion of some real things, then an illusion for children is something magical and inexplicable. The visual process for most representatives of humanity is a completely common phenomenon. People see what is happening around them, but at the same time they do not think at all about how the image is transmitted. This is a very complex process in which the eyes, namely the retina and the brain, play a huge role. It is interesting that a person can often catch himself thinking that he sees in one object similarities with another object. This happens thanks to complex operations in the brain, which can produce various information, depending on a person’s life experience and previously seen things. A special category includes gifted children who perceive the surrounding reality somewhat differently.

Illusions in the human world

Optical illusions play a special place in human visual perception. There are a huge number of them in our world. Some of them are very interesting and their appearance will take your breath away. Such visual experiments will be very useful in the case of children. Optical illusions are used not only for entertainment, but also for scientific purposes. For example, they are very important for psychologists, as they can help determine the level of human development.

The world of optical illusions has not been studied well enough in our time. Many scientists have spent a lot of time and effort to determine what exactly caused the optical illusion. However, most optical and geometric illusions have never received a worthy explanation.

Nevertheless, this is a very interesting topic. Illusions and reality can be astoundingly different. For example, how amazing it is to look at a sheet of paper with drawn elements and see their movement! At the same time, the brain can understand that the picture is completely static, but the eyes see everything differently. These are fascinating riddles of the eyes and brain that children and their parents can solve.

Classic illusion

It is difficult to imagine that a person would stop perceiving the world through vision. People are used to relying on their eyes, so they trust them completely. But the visual process cannot be called ideal. And we are talking not only about those people who suffer from various eye diseases, but also about those who have never had vision problems.

Given that the visual process is imperfect, the eyes can be easily outsmarted. This is exactly what happens when looking at optical illusions. This topic has been studied for a very long time. There is a whole list of illusions that can be called classic.

One of the most studied and interesting topics is the Müller-Lyer illusion. It is based on the fact that a person sees two identical lines with different endings and perceives them as segments of different lengths. The illusion occurs when looking at an image of a cube drawn in perspective. Such optical phenomena are considered geometric vision errors. But there are also more interesting ones that children will definitely like. At this age, moving illusions attract the most attention.

But these are all relatively modern options. But the possibilities of deceiving the human eye were noticed by Aristotle. It was he who in 350 BC. e. noted that human feelings can be trusted, but they are very easy to deceive. Classic illusions can be seen not only on paper, but also in everyday life. For example, anyone can observe how reality merges with optical illusion. If you look from a distance at the falling water in a waterfall for a long time, and then suddenly turn your gaze to the mountain, you get the feeling that the rocks are moving in the opposite direction.

There is a certain explanation for this. Scientists believe that the human brain gets used to one picture with constant movement. Therefore, when you have to look at static objects, the aftereffect of movement occurs.

The waterfall illusion is far from the only one that can be used to entertain parents and children. In nature and during walks you can see many other optical illusions.

Why does a person see illusions?

Similar phenomena have been known for a very long time. But for a long time people did not pay enough attention to optical illusions. Their careful study and description began a little over 100 years ago. Nowadays, optical illusion is the object of study by psychologists, artists, architects and designers. There is even a special set of visual illusions that allow you to determine a person’s mental abilities. Thus, gifted children are identified at an early stage. They require a special approach, so the sooner this feature of the child is determined, the easier it will be for children who are gifted to go through the educational process and training.

But now optical illusions are widely used in various aspects of life. And there was a time when they were mistaken for vision problems. But in fact, illusions are associated not only with the visual, but also with the brain process. In this way, information about the surrounding world is deciphered. But it is not always correct, since some aspects influence the creation of an inadequate and distorted perception of objects, their size, distance and condition.

Optical illusions differ in certain parameters. Most often they depend on the color of the picture, size and perspective. Based on this, you can create optical illusions and view them with your child.

Examples of children's illusions based on size

This type of optical illusion depends on the science of geometry. These illusions are familiar to humans and can be easily observed in everyday life. The human brain can easily distort its perception of the size, length, and depth of an object being viewed.

To show a child an optical-geometric illusion, it is enough to pay attention to an ordinary railway. The rails at foot level will be located far from each other, but when a person looks forward, you can see that they are getting closer, and at the point of the horizon they completely connect. It is a perspective that ends at one point. In reality the rails will be spaced equally apart at all times, but they appear to taper.

When viewing a railway track, you can observe how the parallelism of the lines is lost in perspective. The further you look at the road, the more difficult it will be to determine the distance.

A similar phenomenon was noticed and described by psychologist Mario Ponzo. He created the concept of the usual reduction in the size of an object as it moves away 100 years ago. Thus, the railroad illusion is a stereotype for the human visual process.

Among geometric illusions, those based on describing the depth of an object are very popular. Optical illusion occurs due to the fact that the right and left eyes see different images. When using depth, disparity is applied. Considering that there will be a different arrangement of points on the retina of each eye, the object is visually perceived as concave or convex.

In order to explain and show this illusion to a child, you can go to a 3D movie or simply take any picture where there is a similar image. The eye sees a three-dimensional image, although in reality the hands are holding an ordinary sheet of paper without any protrusions.

Colors and outlines

One of the most important functions the human eye can perform is color detection. The ability to distinguish shades depends on lighting. Many optical illusions work based on color and shadows. With a lack of light, the receptivity of the eye “flows” from one element to another, having different shades. These are features of the human retina.

A similar illusion can be traced in reality. You can show your child how the perception of colors changes at dusk. Those objects that are red or orange in color will be less noticeable than blue and purple ones. This often causes optical illusions.

Some time ago, pictures began to appear on the World Wide Web in which visual deception was clearly visible. The images show that the item is one color, although in reality the shade is different.

Some time ago, the Internet was blown up by an image of a blue strawberry that most people thought was red. And this is surprising, because if you break down the image into shades, then there was no hint of red or pink there. Such an optical illusion is based on the life experience that a person has. If the brain has already seen strawberries before and they were always red, then the information from the picture will be perceived accordingly.

An interesting type of optical illusion are those based on contours. People can see different objects in the same picture. There are special optical illusions that can have several interpretations due to their special contour.

Based on the fact that people can perceive information in their own way, depending on their life experience, level of intelligence and other factors, a special psychological test was developed. It is called "Rorschach Pictures". These are images with contour patterns that at first glance look more like spots. Experts note that when looking at these pictures, people perceive them the same way with their eyes, but the brain interprets the information depending on the person’s personal characteristics. In this way, a specialist can find out more information about his patient, his psychological state, knowledge and life experience.

You can use optical illusion in various aspects of life. Optical illusions are widely used not only in psychology, but also in creativity, and most often by artists, designers and architects. In addition, you can create an entire entertainment program for children from them. There are many visual illusions that a child will enjoy. You can play them not only on the street, looking at the railway or mountains with waterfalls, but also at home.

Children are most attracted to eye illusions called shapeshifters. This is a trick that consists of one image, but the brain can interpret it in different ways. It all depends on which way to turn the sheet with the picture.

There are several popular images in the shapeshifting style. Many people know pictures with a princess and an old lady, a duck and a hare. There is no perspective in these images, and the illusion is based on perceptual readiness. To see the differences, just turn the sheet.

Similar optical illusions can be observed in reality. For example, if parents and a child look at the clouds floating across the sky, then on the one hand it may seem similar to one object, and on the other - like something completely different.

Optical illusion room

A very interesting optical illusion can be observed in the Ames room. This is a three-dimensional optical illusion that was created in a specially equipped room. The special design of the room gives the impression that the objects are of different sizes, but in fact, these objects will be exactly the same. The reason for this effect lies in the design of the Ames room. A similar solution occurred to the master in 46 of the last century. And the room is still very popular and is considered one of the best optical illusions.

If you look at the room, it seems that there are ordinary parallel walls that are built perpendicular to the floor and ceiling. But in reality, Ames's room is shaped like a trapezoid. The far wall is located differently than in standard rooms. To achieve greater efficiency, tiles designed in the form of a checkerboard were used on the floor. All together this creates a simply wonderful result. If two people enter Ames’s room and then stand in different corners, one will seem like a giant, and the other will be at least half the size.

It is very interesting to spend time in such a room. Here you can not only stand, but also move, which creates the illusion of a person quickly increasing in size. At the same time, experts say that to create the effect that is used in the Ames room, it is not at all necessary to equip the whole room. A lot depends on the location of the horizon. This optical illusion has long been noticed by decorators, so the effect is often used to create special effects when it is necessary for one person to be significantly taller than another.

Movement Illusions

It will be interesting for the child to see images with optical illusion, where the illusion of movement plays a major role. The thing is that if the pictures are absolutely static, then the brain perceives everything differently. At the same time, focusing your gaze on one element, you can notice that the dynamism disappears here.

Distortion of perception occurs due to the arrangement of elements in the picture and the distribution of colors. In addition, circular arrangement, vectorization and irregular shapes are often used here.

There are many similar optical illusions. By looking at them with your child, you can conduct experiments. If you alternately approach and move away from the image, the effect of dynamics on a flat sheet is greatly enhanced.

Somewhat similar in principle of operation are optical tracking illusions. We are talking about paintings that constantly look at a person, no matter where he is. This is a very interesting visual effect that often occurs in reality. The illusion of tracking is clearly visible in many portrait photographs, posters and paintings. The most popular representative of this category is the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci.

Interestingly, the tracking illusion has long been considered a mystical effect. But, as it turned out, there is nothing unusual in this, which has been proven by scientists. Experts have learned to create the effect of watching eyes. This result can be achieved by every artist who follows certain rules.

A prerequisite is a portrait, that is, the image of the face must be large. In this case, the object must look directly at the artist. Emotions, or rather the lack thereof, are very important. If there is an indifferent person in the painting or photograph, this will enhance the illusion of tracking. Large canvases make a greater impression. Moreover, proper lighting and shade must be provided. If everything is done as expected, the effect of a three-dimensional image can be created. This creates a sense of volume, which causes the human brain to think that the eyes in the painting are constantly moving.

The benefits of illusions for kids

Some parents are wary of images that cause visual deception. But in fact, there are a lot of advantages to such entertainment as studying optical illusions with a child.

Not all effects can be seen the first time. Therefore, such pictures allow you to expand your perception of reality. Moreover, when viewing optical illusions, the eyes have to adapt to new images. This has a beneficial effect on the quality of vision in the child.

Optical illusions help you focus and concentrate on one process. These skills are useful at any age, but it is better to develop them from childhood. Experts recommend this type of activity for children and teenagers, as it allows them to develop imagination and spatial thinking. With regular viewing of optical illusions, you can turn an ordinary child into a creative genius. If a child plans to become an artist or architect, such classes will be useful to him.

It is worth noting that at any age, optical illusions arouse great interest, and for some even delight. And, despite the fact that in Latin “illusion” is translated as “deception”, it is a lie for the greater good, as it allows you to improve health, restore vision and develop creativity and attentiveness. Optical illusions for children are not just entertainment, but a useful pastime.