A perplexing new optical illusion is causing a storm online, challenging the very way we perceive the world around us. The image, which appears to show a series of curved lines, is in fact composed of nothing but perfectly straight ones.
Created by Japanese psychologist and professor Akiyoshi Kitaoka, the illusion plays a cruel trick on the human brain. The arrangement of black and white squares in a gradient pattern creates a powerful sense of curvature, making it almost impossible to believe the red lines are not bending.
The Science Behind The Trick
This clever manipulation works by exploiting how our visual system processes contrast and shading. The gradient background creates a false sense of depth and perspective, forcing our brain to make assumptions about the lines that simply aren't true.
Professor Kitaoka, a renowned expert in visual illusions, specialises in creating these 'geometrical-optical' tricks. This particular example is a stunning demonstration of how easily our perception can be deceived by simple patterns.
How To See The Truth
If you're struggling to see the straight lines, try these methods:
- Use a straight edge or ruler against the screen
- Cover the background pattern with your fingers, focusing only on the lines
- Step back from your screen or squint your eyes
Once you see the reality, you can't unsee it. The illusion shatters, revealing the perfectly straight lines hidden in plain sight.
Why Our Brains Fall For It
This phenomenon occurs because our brains are hardwired to interpret visual information based on context and past experience. The high-contrast, gradient background creates an impression of a curved surface, so our brain assumes the lines must curve to follow it.
It's a remarkable example of how our visual system takes shortcuts to make sense of complex information quickly – sometimes leading us to completely wrong conclusions.
This latest illusion continues a long tradition of visual tricks that reveal the fascinating gaps between reality and perception, proving that we can't always believe what we see.
