Can you find the illusion in the pictures below? Believe it or not, there actually are some benefits of optical illusions, as well as some detriments. Scroll down for the optical illusions test.
Benefits of Optical Illusions
Entertaining and Fun
First of all, optical illusions can be fun. This can reduce stress, improve your mood and enhance relaxation.
Exercising The Brain
Research has shown that by exercising the brain, neural pathways are maintained, or enhanced. Such brain exercise can help to improve student alertness and performance on exams. There are therapeutic benefits to people with developmental disabilities as a brain therapy. There also is research indicating that symptoms of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease may be reduced and regression slowed through brain exercises.
Optical illusions also can challenge our perceptions and cognitive abilities, helping to improve our mental acuity and cognitive flexibility.
Therapy
They can be used therapeutically to help people with certain conditions, such as amblyopia (lazy eye), to improve their visual perception.
Given these benefits of visual illusions, what are the detriments? Some people may experience dizziness or eye strain, but the most common disadvantage is just frustration. After all, sometimes it can be tricky to find the illusion or hidden image.
Overall, optical illusions can be a fun way to engage with our visual perception and enhance our cognitive abilities
Motion Illusions:Â Are They Moving or Are They Still?
Take a look at these images. Do you think they are moving or still? Scroll down for explanation.
Moving Dots Illusion
Based on Anomalous Motion illusion by Paul Tasca.
Pulsing Circles
Throbbing Lines
Are They Moving Or Still?
This is known as a peripheral drift illusion, in which contrasting colors present an illusion of motion. There actually is no motion at all in any of the three images above. Some people have trouble perceiving these illusions. One way to see them, if you are not seeing any motion, is to try looking slightly off to the side and then blinking rapidly. Personally, initially I did not see the throbbing lines in the third of the above images, but could see slight motion by blinking. Did you see it?
Changing Color Optical Illusion
Changing the background lighting can create an illusion of a change in color of an object in the foreground. Here’s a simple illustration of a simultaneous contrast illusion in which a background color gradient makes the line in the middle appear also to have a color gradient:
The background progresses from dark blue to a lighter blue, while the line in the middle appears to progress from a lighter blue to darker blue (from left to right). However, actually, the line in the center is just one shade of blue. Here it is pulled out of the illusion above:
(Gradient illusion illustration based on Dodek’s grey gradient at Wikipedia)
The Dress Illusion – Black and Blue v. White and Gold
The infamous Dress illusion is the most famous changing color optical illusion. It was viral sensation in 2015 and was the subject of numerous news articles. Confounding everyone around the water cooler in offices around the world, some people insisted the dress had alternating black and dark blue stripes, while others insisted it was white and gold. For example, Anna Kendrick (white/gold) disagreed with Taylor Swift (black/blue). For me, it was (and still is) white and gold, but for Jessica, it was black and blue.  Here’s the controversial image … What do you think?
Buzzfeed ran a poll and out of over 2,000,000 responses:
72% Voted for white and gold
28% Voted for black and blue
Which was correct? The photo actually is a washed out or over exposed picture of ….. drum roll … a dark blue dress with black lace. (Go to next page for picture of actual dress)
Cool! At first glance I thought the dress was white and gold but then after I knew it was blue and black, it actually changed my vision of it to blue and black! I suppose we can’t always trust what our eyes see.
When I look longer, the white, starts to look light blue.