44 Optical Illusions That Stump Everyone Who Looks – Do You Get What’s Going On?
Optical illusions aren't just found in magazines or optometry textbooks. The world around us is full of visual trickery. Color, shape, perspective, and shadow can confuse our brains and make us question our physical reality.
None of the photos on this list has been doctored or Photoshopped— any strange phenomena you perceive is a product of your own point of view.
The Squiggly Mile
On the right amount of mind-altering substances, this trippy hallway probably just looks like a normal hallway. Although the floor and all of the walls in this space are actually perfectly straight, it looks as though that girl is navigating a dangerously curvy pathway. Lines are amazing.
We wonder how many people can actually walk through this hall without stumbling. This optical illusion would definitely hinder your ability to walk normally.
Body Swap
At first glance, it looks like this guy's body doesn't quite match his head. But don't worry, this is just your eyes tricking you. If you look closer though, you'll realize that it's actually the guy who's sitting down. His girlfriend is hugging him from behind and her head is over his right shoulder.
Either that or somebody skipped leg day...we weren't there, so we really can't say after all.
Just Another Wave In The Wall
This mountain range is not really next to a lake. That thing that looks like a lake is actually a concrete wall. The shadows perfectly hit the wall making its white paint appear to be the color of lake water. The sun directly hitting the top of the wall gives it the illusion that it's a sandy shore.
We hope any travelers that pass by this spot aren't hoping to go for a swim any time soon.
Like Oil And Water
See the glass rod in the photo above? Although both of the liquids in this glass are transparent, you can only see the glass rod through one of them.
This illusion happens because light passes through oil at the same speed that it passes through glass. Light passes through water at a different speed, so the glass rod is visible at the bottom of the cup. Science is weird like that.
You'll Float Too
No, this dude is not casually levitating a few inches above the asphalt. He's just standing next to a wet spot on the ground that looks like it could be his shadow.
It's so much easier to pull off magic tricks in photographs than in person. We imagine this trick wouldn't be so impressive if we could just walk around the guy.
Master Of Disguise
A street artist in San Fransisco painted this utility box so it would blend in perfectly with its surroundings. We have to say that life looks a lot better in the picture on the utility box than in the real world. We'd love a little bridge and river at every crosswalk.
But we have to wonder...has anyone ever walked or biked into this on accident? After all, it blends in perfectly.
Linear Trickery
This photo is a perfect example of the Ponzo illusion in real life. The two red lines are exactly the same size, but they look different because of the objects in the background.
Want proof? Tilt your head and look at the lines again, or whip out a ruler and measure those puppies. Is your mind blown yet?
Cross-Legged Archway
The Delicate Arch near Moab, Utah isn't actually twisted. The side of the arch that's closer to the camera is smaller than the side that's further away.
Your brain thinks the smaller one should be further away, which is why the whole thing looks cross-legged. This is all about perspective, but it sure does feel like our minds are playing tricks on us!
To See The World In A Blade Of Grass
This patch of greenery is called "Qui Croire?" and it was created by French artist François Abélanet. The title translates to "who to believe?"
Although it doesn't look that big from this angle, Qui Croire? is made from 3,500 square feet of turf, dirt, and straw. From any other angle, this grassy globe looks like a vast, irregular, weirdly shaped garden.
A Dip In The Road
This misleading floor pattern keeps people from running down the hallway. People are more likely to tread lightly if they think the floor has an inexplicable dip in it. From a different angle, this hallway looks perfectly straight.
We now resort to tricking people into behaving.
2D Building?
While this building looks like a flat slab of concrete, there are actually real, 3-dimensional people inside of it. Contrary to popular belief, this is not where all your favorite cartoon characters live when they're not inside your TV.
The building is triangular, so you can't see the sides of it from this viewpoint.
The Tall And Short Of It
The angle of this photo makes it look like that bridge is a lot shorter on one side than it actually is.
Thanks to a carefully placed camera, the arm of the lift is fully obscured, making it look like the workers aren't very high off the ground.
It's A Mirage!
Thanks to an illusion known as Fata Morgana, it looks like the boat in the distance is floating just above the water. The name, Fata Morgana comes from the Italian name for a sorceress who supposedly used false land to draw sailors to their deaths.
Some people believe that this effect gave rise to the myth of The Flying Dutchman.
A Classic Pattern
This pattern is known as the café wall illusion. These rows of black and white squares are actually parallel, even though they appear to be sloped.
There's a whole bunch of science that explains why these straight lines look crooked — something about retinas and contrast that we still don't fully understand. One this is for sure though, this makes our minds melt if we stare at it for too long.
Just Another Brick In The Wall
It looks like several of the bricks in this wall were pushed in to create a tree pattern. In reality, a very skilled street artist shaded the bricks so that they only look like they've been pushed in.
That mailbox looks pretty jealous that an equally skilled street artist didn't give him a makeover.
Optical Artistry
This mural in Sherbrooke, Quebec creates the illusion of a movable wall panel and wide open space.
If only all apartment buildings were this inviting. Leave it to Canada to produce street art this wholesome. We'd love to have a mural like this on the side of our home.
A Simple Circle
Simple illusions can be just as captivating as complex murals. The bars in this railing strategically curve to the right to create a 3D effect.
This railing is completely flat. If only all functional barriers looked this interesting. The world would be a trickier, more beautiful place.
Figure Eight
This one is going to cause you fits at the card table. If you look closely, you can see that this eight of diamonds actually has a hidden number eight sitting right in the middle.
Make sure to bring this one up the next time you're playing poker with your buddies so you can keep track of where the card is at all times.
Give Your Phone A Little Shake
If you're reading this article on a phone or tablet, give it a little shake. Did you see that? It looks like the Oreo jiggles like it's sitting on a mound of Jell-o or something.
As much as this creeped me out because I absolutely despise Jell-o, it did make me unusually hungry.
See-Through Stone
As usual, I have no idea how people were so talented back in the day. With all the technological advances we no have, I could never imagine we could do something like this even today.
This piece was sculpted by Antonio Corradini, and deserves all the credit it can get.
Underwater Waterfall
Well, actually, it's more of a sandfall. This is Le Morne Brabant peninsula off the Island of Mauritius, and this illusion is the result of sand runoff in a deep channel.
Basically, ocean currents are pushing sand and silt down the plate boundary, give us the illusion of a water/sand fall.
High Above The Clouds
I think we can all agree that this looks like the perfect summer evening. There's nothing quite like laying on the ground staring up at the clouds, but this patch of water perfectly reflected the sky up above.
It almost looks like this place is hovering high above the sky. I'm in love.
Allan Key Stairway
We all have different names for these little wrenches: hex wrenches, Allan Keys, but I think we can all agree that we have 17 lying around the house because they come with every piece of IKEA furniture.
This person decided to make a nice little set of stairs for his collection of wrenches, finally putting them to go use.
What Conditioner Does He Use?
Beards are in right now. They've been a staple of modern society for a while now, and seemed to have outlived other trends like the man bun.
However, this guy only dreams that he could get in on all the beard love that's going around the internet.
Wild, Wild Horses
This fountain made the wildlife come to life in a very simple and effective manner. These horses look like they're galloping through the waterfall, and honestly, I can feel it.
I especially love the little horse in the back who hasn't entered the fountain yet. You'll get there little buddy!
Who's In Front?
I have a very simple question for you. Which of these buildings is in front? It really doesn't matter what you tell me, I can argue for either side.
I'm going to choose the building on the right because it pops more, and it looks like it gets better sunlight.
Pool Party
This would totally freak me out. So apparently, this isn't a real pool, but it looks extremely pool-like. Poolish even.
My guess is that there's just a piece of glass with some water on top to give the illusion these people are underwater. Suddenly I'm not as impressed at Leo's death in Titanic.
I Don't Get It, But I Respect It
So this is an incredibly trippy tattoo. I'm not too sure what the meaning behind it is, but I could definitely find myself staring at it for days.
It really makes his arm look hallow, and I'm not entirely sure if that was the intended purpose. Regardless, it's eye-catching, and that's all that matters.
A Bit Bigger Than Uranus
Sorry for the grade school joke. I'm only human.
This person went out and found the perfect side table that resembled the largest planet in our solar system. I'm pretty sure they just found yet another moon orbiting Jupiter. Okay, that's enough of a science lesson for today.
Emily Izsak
