00:00Yep, this is technically Kim Kardashian's face.
00:03I know, I know.
00:04How can someone so beautiful look so weird?
00:07I'll give you a second to figure out what's going on here.
00:10Let's see if your mind can figure out what your eyes can't really understand.
00:14Right, we should totally try it with other public figures.
00:18But let me explain the logic behind it first.
00:21You just witnessed the magic of the inverted face effect.
00:24This optical illusion was discovered 45 years ago and it continues to wow people.
00:29Here's how it works.
00:31The picture is turned upside down, but key features of the person's face are kept the
00:36right way up.
00:37For the magic to happen, you can't change everything in the picture, just key features
00:42like the eyes and the mouth.
00:44The illusion revealed a glitch in how our brain processes faces.
00:48Apparently, we don't think about a face as a whole.
00:51We understand each of its components and then assemble it into a whole.
00:57Now let's take a look at Lady Gaga for a sec.
01:00While you're staring, try to figure out what on earth is going on.
01:03I mean, it's just too funny!
01:06Hey, is this supposed to be Ariana Grande?
01:09I mean, I almost didn't recognize her there!
01:12This illusion should get its own Instagram filter, but hey, I'll finally tell you what
01:16it's all about!
01:17Ok, I've got something cool to show you.
01:20Keep your eyes glued to this image for a sec.
01:22Do you see what's happening to those edges?
01:24They're fading away, like they just disappeared into thin air, right?
01:29And then those empty spots suddenly turn greenish!
01:32This mind-boggling effect is known as the Troxler fading illusion.
01:37When you focus on one spot for too long, your brain decides to ignore the rest.
01:42It's like it's saying there's nothing new happening there, so it just tunes out for
01:45a second or two.
01:47So while you think you're soaking in the whole picture, your brain is quietly figuring out
01:51the boring bits.
01:54You've got to trust me on this one.
01:56If you keep looking long enough through these black and white dots, something, or better
02:00yet, someone, is going to appear.
02:02I'll give you a hint.
02:04This person sings and is young and beautiful.
02:07Did you get that reference?
02:09It's Lana Del Rey, ladies and gentlemen!
02:11You just need to readjust your eyes and look for the shape behind all that distraction.
02:16But there we go!
02:17Great work!
02:19Here's an unusual scene.
02:21Shakira and Miley Cyrus together in a room.
02:24But why does Shakira look like a giant and Miley look so small?
02:29In real life, Miley is taller than Shakira.
02:32Come on, I'll give you a few minutes to try to figure this one out.
02:36This is an old-school optical illusion.
02:38If you've been to a kids' museum, odds are one of the exhibits was the Ames Room.
02:44The setup makes us completely distort the perception of the scene.
02:47Let's take a look behind the scenes.
02:49The Ames Room is built with both the floor and ceiling at a certain angle which turns
02:54the room into a trapezium.
02:56When you see it, your eyes are tricked into believing both sides of the room are the same.
03:01But no, no!
03:03It all comes down to how your eyes perceive depth.
03:06If someone walks to the left hand of the room, they're actually further away and the ceiling
03:10is higher.
03:11They appear as a smaller image before your eyes.
03:14And the opposite happens on the right-hand side of the room.
03:18Alright, check out this staircase.
03:23Looks pretty normal, I know.
03:25Now let's flip it upside down.
03:27It still looks like a staircase but instead of moving from right to left, it seems to
03:31go from left to right.
03:33The secret is Y O U C A N N O T B L I N K.
03:40If you do, the illusion will vanish and you'll be back to the original image.
03:46This little brain teaser is called the Schroeder Staircase.
03:49It might seem simple but it reveals some seriously important stuff about how our brains work.
03:55If you break down the staircase, you'll see it's actually flat.
03:58What your brain interprets as a 3D image is just a clever mix of shadows and light.
04:04Basically, that 3D effect is just another optical illusion.
04:08Our brains grab images and try to make sense of them based on what we already know.
04:13So when it spots a shadow in a 2D image, it fills in the gaps and sees depth where there
04:18isn't any.
04:20In this case, it tricks us into thinking we're looking at a three-dimensional perspective.
04:24How wild is that?
04:26Wait, you don't need special goggles to understand what Adele's face is doing here.
04:32Just keep looking at the little white dot at the center of this image for a bit.
04:36Don't worry, I'll tell you when you can stop.
04:39Take your time and soak in her face.
04:43We need your full attention for just a few seconds.
04:46When I say go, I'll need you to stare directly into a white wall or a blank piece of paper.
04:51Three, two, go, now!
04:56Pretty cool, huh?
04:57This is called the negative afterimage illusion.
05:00First, you need to look at an image with inverted colors for a few seconds.
05:05Then when you turn to look at a white page or wall, you'll get to see the original
05:09image, aka Adele's beautiful face.
05:13It looks like magic, but let me explain why this is scientific.
05:18This trick happens because your eyes and brain are big fans of contrast.
05:23When they're hit with opposite colors, they try to balance things out by filling in the
05:27right colors.
05:28So even though the screen's blank, your mind plays color artist and paints the correct
05:33shades in your imagination.
05:35Oh, another one with a bunch of black and white bars.
05:39Who shall be hidden beneath it?
05:42Keep looking and you'll find it.
05:44Think of the word baby several times with some funky melody.
05:48Did you see it?
05:49I mean him.
05:51Yep, it's Ed Sheeran.
05:53Ready to get confused?
05:55Take a look at this trending optical illusion.
05:58Stare for a couple of seconds and don't move your eyes.
06:01Do you notice anything weird?
06:04So there's this grid with broken edges.
06:06If you keep looking at the center of the image for a few seconds, those broken edges magically
06:11start fixing themselves in your side vision.
06:14It's like your brain can't resist seeing patterns.
06:18This illusion was created by Ryota Kanai and was actually a finalist in the 2005 Best Illusion
06:24of the Year contest.
06:26Kanai himself explains that this illusion shows how our visual brain just loves regular
06:31patterns.
06:32Don't you just love snakes?
06:35These ones aren't scary at all.
06:37You can stare at them moving around all day long.
06:40Which direction are they moving to you?
06:42Are they moving at all?
06:44This may shock you, but these guys are stationary.
06:48It's all about those repeating asymmetrical patterns and clever color combos.
06:53They've got lighter shades like yellow and white hanging out with darker blues and blacks.
06:58This funky mix tricks your retina into sending signals to your brain, making those circles
07:03look like they're spinning.
07:05Wanna call out this illusion for what it really is?
07:08Just fix your gaze on one part of the image.
07:11Keep staring, and you'll see those circles gradually slow down and come to a stop.
07:16Neat, right?
07:17Now, the last illusion, and if this one doesn't trick your brain, I give up.
07:23Look at this photo.
07:24It's black and white, isn't it?
07:26Take your time to answer.
07:29Right now, your brain is probably trying its best to make you see colors, but please, don't
07:33fall for that.
07:35You're looking at a black and white picture with green, red, orange, yellow, and blue
07:40grid lines over it.
07:42This highly saturated color grid overlaid on a grayscale picture makes the gray cells
07:47seem colorful.
07:49But if you want to break the spell, just zoom in.
07:52This way, you'll be able to see the true colors of the original photo.
