Look at the hole. Don't blink. Your eyes fixed on the hole. Only at the hole. Now, what do you perceive? Most people report the sensation of falling into the hole. At first, that result makes no sense because the image is static, but an international team of researchers explains that that false sensation of movement is linked to the expansion of our pupils, and to our brain's compensation mechanisms.
Do you want optical illusions? I think we can satisfy your desire: The Ghost Queen of 2021 was truly impressive, the Double Axis of 2019 left us with our mouths open, and it's impossible to forget the balls of the same color, the strawberries that are not red, and the dots that disappear by magic.
Why do they work so well in some cases? The answer may vary depending on the effect and the associated studies, but it always goes in the same general direction: The brain likes to take shortcuts, fill in and complete patterns that are not there. The latest example takes us to a study published by researchers from the University of Oslo and Ritsumeikan University in Osaka. What is its goal? First of all, look at this hole:
The black hole illusion in action
The hole expands and you are falling in its direction, right? At least, that is what a good part of the public responds. The illusion created by Akiyoshi Kitaoka (who is part of the original team) uses a combination of black dots on a white background completely static, without animations or anything like that. The illusory movement causes an expansion of our pupils, even when observed in conditions that do not require that type of adjustment, for example, a well-lit room.
The effect is associated with a theoretical perspective called "Perceiving the present", originally documented in April 2008: We can imagine that the brain works instantaneously, but when we talk about illusions with dynamic shapes or spatial changes, it generates a perception of the probable result with about 100 milliseconds of anticipation, as compensation for the neural delay in processing visual information that goes from the retina to the corresponding cortical areas.
Another compelling example of this is manifested in the second image. The center of the flower seems much brighter, but its white color is exactly the same white of the background and around. The difference is that in this illusion, the pupils contract. The pattern of shapes and their gradient from darkness to light generate a perception similar to observing the Sun through leaves and branches of trees. The brain's prediction is that "we will see the Sun" in the center, and our pupils respond to that.
Access the study: Click here
Source: Gizmodo
