If you are here, reading this, you must be fond of a bit of trickery, correct? Well, the good news for us! You’re not alone, and there are hundreds of different optical illusions to view for your pleasure. Today we have one that, at first glance, looks like it would be on the surface of a coffee shop in Italy. Funnily enough, this image falls under the category of optical illusions called Café Wall Optical Illusions. It was first seen tricking people in 1979 n a Café in Bristol, UK. Since then it has been a favorite amongst many, but I’m sure not many people who have to deal with OCD will agree.
Who Created It?
If you are wondering who made this image trickery, then you might be surprised to know that it was made by a Magician from Atlanta, called Victoria Skye. As you probably know, magic tricks are illusions, so in a sense, an optical illusion is just like a magic trick. Skye has seriously found a different avenue to go down as a magician. If you want to see more amazing optical illusions, keep reading!
The checked appearance fools the eye into thinking it is made up of slanted lines – but, is it? Take another look, but be warned, it is dizzying to stare at after a while. When you look at one side of the image and focus on one line with the black squares, it almost seems as if the blue lines are slanted. But as you follow the line, you realize it stays straight! It’s almost as if the corner of your eye catches the illusion. Ready? Have a look!
How To Beat The illusion
If you are like us, you probably sat there moving your eyes as slow as you can trying to prove to yourself that you see the straight line over and above the illusion. You might have zoomed in on the pic to focus on each block… don’t worry, we will not judge you. But’s Skye’s game is strong in this one. The only way to beat the illusion is if you zoom out to see the whole image. Then, you must blur your vision. Like when you squint, but with your eyeballs… It’s basically when you allow your eyes to go out of focus.
Another method is to get a ruler out and hold it against one of the darker blue lines that seems like it is slanting upwards. You will see that it is straight when you have the ruler to break the illusion.
In an interview with IFL Science, Sky said the following.
“The scientists say that the reason the illusion exists has to do with how the white and black edges interact in opposite directions along the straight edge, tricking the brain into thinking there is a slant in the line. That’s why, if you blur the image, the effect disappears… because you cannot resolve the tiny white-black interactions once they are blurred, so the brain is no longer led down the garden path.”
Did you enjoy this minding bending brain teaser? If you did, here are a few more you could try out! Don’t forget to share wit your family and friends!
