Optical Illusions # 1 - Jesus

This month, it is about something fascinating - Optical Illusions.

Many of us have at least once come across optical illusions in our lifetime. Beside being fun to solve, optical illusions have the power to puzzle and bewilder because we have an implicit trust that what our senses tell us is physical reality.

Illusions are a nice window into how the brain works. It is surprising to find out that the eye cannot see, it merely perceives information which is passed down to the brain where innumerable processes of classification, comparison, and decision-making are initiated. Illusions trick us into perceiving something differently than it actually exists, so what we see does not correspond to physical reality. Hence, the word illusion comes from the Latin verb illudere meaning, "to mock." 

In addition, some illusions show us one thing in a picture, while someone else sees something entirely different in the same picture. Optical illusions can work in various ways, they can be images that are different from the objects that make them, they can be ones that come from the effects on the eyes and brain through excessive stimulation, and others where the eye and brain make unconscious inferences.

Here is a cool PC Illusion. Relax and concentrate on the 4 small dots in the middle of the picture for about 30-40 secs. Then, take a look at the wall near you (any smooth, single coloured surface) You will see a circle of light developing. Start blinking your eyes a couple of times, and you will see a figure emerging. What do you see, or rather whom do you see?

Cheers!