You’ve probably had friends share some type of brain teaser on social media. You have to post how many animals, circles, numbers, or words you can spot in the images. While you might sometimes feel you fall short compared to others, these brain teasers challenge an individual’s perception. According to authors of the book, Champions of Illusion: The Science Behind Mind-Boggling Images and Mystifying Brain Puzzles, there’s good reason people see different things. (1)
Brain Teasers Designed To Boggle
Authors Susana Martinez-Conde and Stephen Macknik are professors of ophthalmology, neurology, physiology, and pharmacology at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York. With a long list of credentials like that, they know of what they speak. Their book compiles award-winning images from the Best Illusion of the Year contest they created for a 2005 neuroscience conference. (1)
They describe how the brain “creates a simulation of the world that may or may not match the real thing.” So each of us experiences a different reality based on how we interact with each simulation. When it comes to illusions, our perception does not match up to the physical reality we see. That’s half the fun of looking at visual brain teasers and optical illusions. (1)
Purposeful Illusions Of Brain Teasers
So, basically you might see something that isn’t there, or miss something that is. You might even see something no one else sees at all. The book explains that painters, for example can create the illusion of depth. I’ve seen such paintings where I feel like I could walk right into the painting. It always fascinates me. With intentional illusions, the creator tempts our brains to create our own visions based on what we think we see. (1)
Perception Beyond Visuals
Illusions present themselves in different ways using not only depth, but colors, light, shapes, and brightness to purposefully trick the eye. They become very subjective for each person looking at the art. In fact, Martinez-Conde and Macknik say this is not only true of visual experiences, but also of all sensory perceptions including thoughts, memories, and emotions. (1)
“Whether we are experiencing the feeling of “redness,” the appearance of “squareness,” or emotions such as love and hate, these are the result of the activity of neurons in our brain,” their book explains. (1)
Exciting Brain Teasers To Check Out
Some of the best puzzles covered in their book include: (1)
- The Coffer illusion by Anthony Norcia, Stanford University: In this image what appears to be a completely linear drawing actually contains 16 circles. The illusion occurs because the brain gets distracted by corners and angles.
- The Rotating Snakes Illusion, Akiyoshi Kitaoka // Ritsumeikan University: Overlapping circles in an intricate design make it appear as if the image is moving. As your eyes move to take in the image, it creates the illusion of movement.
- The Healing Grid, Ryota Kanai // Utrecht University: The black background and white grid contain a series of broken lines. When you stare at one spot, it appears broken areas are repairing themselves. Bizarre. This occurs because of something called “perceptual fading”. As you stare at one part of something, outer parts fade and your brain tries to “reconstruct” the faded areas based on what it expects to see.
So if you’ve got a little time on your hands, check out the book and prepare to blow your mind! (1)
