La Grande Illusion

Seeing does not always equate to believing in many instances. One of which is the case of optical illusions---a noted phenomenon you wouldn't like being into for long as it may subsequently cause vertigo headaches, wooziness; to name a few(quite an exaggeration there). So, how do these things work? In a broad sense, the visually perceived images when you look at illusions are interpreted by the brain differently from what they really are because the different cells and receptors in your eyes distinguish images and colors at dissimilar speeds. The eye can only receive a limited amount of visual stimuli, but as your brain constantly processes the visual information, it gives you the illusion of continuous sight. Illusions are classified into three: literal optical illusions that create images that are different from the objects that make them, physiological ones that are the effects on the eyes and brain of excessive stimulation of a specific type (brightness, tilt, color, movement), and cognitive illusions where the eye and brain make unconscious inferences. Check out some of interesting illusions below—but beware, you may not be able to absorb them all in one sitting.




The brown leaf shapes against a green background make this look as if the entire group is flowing—making waves if you focus on the picture as a whole.

These bright purple and green star-like shapes appear to be moving, which can be a little nauseating if you stare at it for too long.

The blue almond-shaped objects look as if they’re all passing over three separate columns.

A scintillating grid illusion. Shape, position, colour, and 3D contrast converge to produce the illusion of black dots at the intersections.