How Optical Illusions Work

Man is a social animal and is considered superior to any other species on this planet. Why is this so? What is that X factor that separates man from other species? The answer is our minds and our ability to create.

The human brain has invented aeroplanes, mobile phones and laptops. A human brain has the ability to perceive things and react in a way that allows us to improve on the design. Our brain recognizes any pattern as soon as it sees one and this ability makes our brain supremely powerful. Apart from pattern recognition, the brain also provides us with an understanding of continuity, proximity and closure. With something that powerful, is it really possible this all-conquering supremely powerful human brain be tricked? Sometimes the answer is an astonishing YES!

Optical illusions use the strong points of a human brain to nullify its strengths. This illusion is a by-product of flawed judgement/perception coupled with anticipatory vision. Sometimes the human mind mistakenly calculates an incorrect distance from the object and this forms a false image in the mind. A human mind looks for pattern in everything it sees. For example, if we see a car full of designer triangles on it, we will always try to count the number of triangles on the car. This is because from the very beginning, our mind is trained in such a way that it tries to match patterns. A human mind can never resist the temptation to match shapes and angles. This is what an optical illusion thrives on, the so-called pre meditated human mind.

The brain always tries to find some kind of continuity or link in whatsoever the eyes see. An optical illusion tries to show some kind of connectivity at the superficial level. These illusions take advantage of the fact that human beings have pre formed illusions and perceptions. As soon as our minds see something familiar, they roll back into the past and associate that familiarity with a particular shape or a design. Hence, the visual perception, which is the very base of so many of discoveries and inventions. Different receptors in the eyes sometimes form different minor images and when all these different incoherent images are joined in the mind to form a coherent image, a false image or a duplicate image is formed.

The optical illusions outfox us in this way. They make us anticipate something, rather than see it for what it is. That is why optical illusions are so useful in magic tricks.

By James J Anthony