June 30, 2022
This is actually pretty cool.
Before you look at the image below, read these instructions. Focus on the dot on the left. As you gaze at the dot, answer this question: In what direction is the object on the right moving. Now try it:
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It sure looks like the object on the right is drifting diagonally from right to left, doesn’t it? It’s not. It’s going vertically up and down. Don’t believe me? Trace the object with your finger.
The importance of visual illusions is, as Dartmouth College professor Patrick Cavanaugh tells us, “We’re not seeing reality. We’re seeing a story that is being created for us.”
Most of the time, the story our brains generate matches the real, physical world — but not always. Our brains also unconsciously bend our perception of reality to meet our desires or expectations. And they fill in gaps using our past experiences.
All of this can bias us. Visual illusions present clear and interesting challenges for how we live: How do we know what’s real? And once we know the extent of our brain’s limits, how do we live with more humility — and think with greater care about our perceptions?
This is starting to freak me out.