OPTICAL illusions have long been used to trick people’s brains – and this one may make you think naughty thoughts.
A ‘dirty’ optical illusion has gone viral on Reddit as users struggle to un-see the image.
1
The illusion, which was originally shared on Instagram by user @Singcha, shows a scene in the park.
Viewers can quickly spot a couple holding hands and a woman laying down in the grass.
However, our eyes are instantly drawn to the woman on the grass, because she appears practically nude from the waist down.
In actuality, what we are seeing is a man’s left leg crossed over his right leg as grabs his shin with his arm.
If you look closely, you can also see the man’s drink positioned between his legs.
So how is it that our brains processed this scene completely wrong?
The science behind illusions
There are several types of optical illusions – this image is considered to be a ‘cognitive’ one.
Most read in Tech
Basically, these types of illusions work by using our eyes to trick our brains.
Eye-care company Clear Eyes explained: “These illusions rely on what the subconscious mind thinks and how it relates one object to another.”
It can be really difficult for our brains to interpret everything at once, so they will often take shortcuts.
In this case, because of where the man’s knee was located in relation to the woman’s lower body, our minds give us a simplified version of what we see.
Unconscious inference
Our brains also undergo a process called ‘unconscious inferences’ to make sense of illusions.
This process helps our minds make a conclusion after looking at certain objects or scenes.
“Cognitive illusions are a result of our conceptions and assumptions about the world, which we impose upon visual stimuli,” researchers from Colorado College noted.
