1. The Dress

You’ve likely encountered the infamous dress image that sparked widespread debate online a few years back. I recall engaging in intense discussions about it with my classmates throughout the week.

Photo by Evangeline Shaw on Unsplash. What colors do you see in this dress?

Perhaps you’re thinking, “Not this again!” Is it blue and black, or gold and white?

Photo by Yogendra Singh on Unsplash. Why does this visual confusion occur? Even when viewing the same image, individual brains can perceive it differently. Our understanding of reality is constructed by our brains, which means our perceptions are subjective.

Various theories attempt to explain this phenomenon, with one popular idea being the role of ambient light in color perception. To simplify: If you spend most of your time in dimly lit environments, your brain may interpret the dress as blue and black. Conversely, if you are more accustomed to bright, daylight conditions, you might perceive it as white and gold.

Here’s a comparison showing the dress under different lighting conditions:

However, not everyone sees it the same way; I still view it as blue and black! It would be interesting to see if science can eventually resolve this fascinating debate.

2. Edward Adelson’s Checkerboard Illusion

Next up is another thought-provoking illusion. Take a look at the squares labeled A and B. Which square appears darker to you?

If you guessed that square B is lighter, you are mistaken. Both squares are actually the same shade of gray.

Photo by Towfiqu Barbhuiya on Unsplash. What’s going on here? The perception of gray is influenced not by the light reflecting off squares A or B, but rather by the brain's interpretation of the surrounding context.

The cylinder depicted in the image creates an illusion of shadow, leading our brains to erroneously conclude that square A is darker than square B. In reality, B is in shadow, while A is not. Our brains have learned to associate shadows with darker tones, which skews our perception of these squares.

Observe the checkerboard on the right; the gray lines help to break the illusion, revealing that both squares are indeed the same color. No matter how many times I study this illusion, it never ceases to amaze me!

3. Illusory Motion

Now, let’s examine the final illusion. Do the images below appear to be in motion?

The answer is … no, they are stationary.

Photo by Julien L on Unsplash. Why do we perceive movement? One explanation suggests that the intricate details of the images confuse our visual processing centers. The complexities in the images can trick our motion detectors into signaling that something is moving, thus creating the illusion of motion.