Visual illusions to tease our brains and minds

Why Opti­cal Illu­sions Like These Make Your Brain Go Hay­wire (Wired):

“Uni­ver­si­ty of Bris­tol researchers dis­cov­ered this illu­sion in the ear­ly 1970s while look­ing at the tiled wall of a café. Hence the name, Café Wall Illu­sion. The gray lines in between the rows of white and black squares seem to con­verge, but they are actu­al­ly par­al­lel. Your brain, over­whelmed by the intense and close­ly-spaced black-and-white con­trasts, sees the gray lines as part of the tile either above or below it. The lines end up appear­ing high­er on alter­nat­ing sides, cre­at­ing the trape­zoidal illusion.”

More visu­al illu­sions and brain teasers:

• 12 fun illu­sions at Wired
• Test your brain with these 10 visu­al illusions
• A brain teas­er for each cog­ni­tive ability