I have posted a few times here about how our brains are not to be trusted (such as this post or this post.) I was sent this amazing illusion today via Professor Bruce Hood which he found on Brusspup’s YouTube channel (which also has several other incredible videos.) This is not a camera trick but a genuine quirk of brain function. What we see is only an image generated from the evidence available to our brains. It is not to be taken seriously. Eye-witness accounts of events are not always reliable for the same reason. We are very much subject to suggestion, and assumptions that we make based upon past experience. In this case, the squares look the way they do because that is what our brains expect.
From an evolutionary perspective, the development of a brain that tricks us makes some sense. We are ‘pattern-seeking’ mammals. That means that we recognise shapes in the random things we see around us. The word for this is pareidolia and you can read more about it here.
This may have been an evolutionary advantage to our ancestors. Imagine one of your ancient predecessors walking through the long grass when he thinks he sees the outline of a predator. He could dismiss that outline as just a trick of the light, or assume it is a predator and run away. In this scenario, we don’t know whether he saw real or imagined danger. What we can surmise, however, is that those inclined to flee away from predator shaped shadows are more likely to survive in the long run than those who dismissed all such events as of no importance. Our more sceptical cousins might not have lived long enough to pass on their sceptical genes.
Richard Wiseman’s blog is always good for this sort of thing. He is a real, actual scientist who does research but also helps illusionists such as Derren Brown to hone their magical skills.
You might enjoy Richard Wiseman’s Colour Changing Card Trick which is hosted on this blog.
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