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optical illusion

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Bizarre photo of Adele's face explains the viral phenomenon called the Thatcher effect

The 45-year-old optical illusion is still astounding people.

Credit: Condé Nast (through Vogue Taiwan)

Prepare to get Thatcherized.

Adele has a face that is chiseled into the public's mind. She's been a global icon for two decades with a number of mega hit albums and songs. But this photo might be the most unforgettable of all. Perhaps you’ve seen the image in question previously (it seems to make the rounds every couple of years). But in case you missed it—it’s Adele’s face. Normal, just upside down.

Only it’s not normal. In fact, when you turn Adele’s face right side up, what you notice is that her eyes and mouth were actually right-side up THE ENTIRE TIME, even though the entire head was upside down. So when you turn the head right side up, the eyes and mouth are now UPSIDE-DOWN—and you can’t unsee it. Do you feel like you're Alice in Wonderland yet?

Just wait. Things get even more fascinating. Especially because this optical illusion is over 40 years in the making.

Below you’ll find the Adele photo in question. Go ahead. Take a look at it. Then turn the image upside down.


adele, thatcher effect, psychologyCan't. Unsee.scontent-lax3-2.xx.fbcdn.net

Crazy right? And just a little terrifying?

As the Facebook post explains, this mind-boggling image highlights a phenomenon known as the Thatcher effect. Our brains, so much more used to recognizing faces that are right-side up, have difficulty detecting specific changes once a face is upside down.

margaret thatcher, colleage of thatcher photos, thatcher effectImage manipulation illustrating the Thatcher effect. Rob Bogaerts Image manipulation: Phonebox

Seeing that everything is more or less where it should be, our brains don’t notice anything out of the ordinary in Adele’s face until we turn her face back to a normal position.

The Thatcher effect got its name from British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, on whose photograph it was first demonstrated back in 1980 by Peter Thompson, Professor of Psychology at York University.

This demonstration was one of the first to explore just how facial recognition works, and certainly the first to suggest that humans (and monkeys, it turns out) process faces on a more holistic level, rather than by individual components like lips and eyes. There's even evidence that rhesus monkeys and chimpanzees experience the Thatcher effect, meaning it may have deep roots in the evolutionary biology of mammals.

Since its publication, there has been a wealth of research exploring how our brain takes in both subtle and striking facial configurations.


- YouTubewww.youtube.com


Funny enough, it was once believed that this illusion only worked on the Prime Minister’s face. But as Adele has proven, anyone can be Thatcherized.

This article originally appeared two years ago.

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Culture

Optical illusion makes looking at Van Gogh's 'Starry Night' a truly 'moving' experience

This is so trippy.

@Alex_Verbeek/Twitter, "Van Gogh's Starry Night" by Christopher S. Penn is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Watch "The Starry Night" come to life with this optical illusion.

Vincent Van Gogh's "The Starry Night" is one of the most recognizable and beloved paintings in the world. It was completed in 1889 and has been part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City since 1941. It is not up for sale, but if it were to go to auction there is a chance it could fetch as much as billion dollars.

Such a priceless work of art is perhaps a strange object for a parlor trick, but trust me when I tell you this one is worth it. Whether they are oases in the desert created by heat shimmer, an elephant with an indeterminate number of legs or straight lines that look crooked, optical illusions can throw our brains for a loop. They can also be super fun, and an optical illusion that makes the "Starry Night" painting turn into a moving picture is most definitely fun.

The illusion, shared by Alex Verbeek on Twitter, involves two steps. First, you stare at the center of a spinning spiral image for 20 seconds, then you look at the painting. Staring at the spinning spiral isn't as easy as it sounds—it makes your eyes buggy and your brain hurt a little—but even if you don't do the full 20 seconds, you can probably get the effect.

Aim for staring at the center of the spiral for at least 10 seconds, then watch "The Starry Night" come to life before your eyes. (You have to click "play" first, by the way. The spirals need to be swirling.)

Want a larger version of the painting to try it out on? Here you go:

Van Gogh Starry Night

Vincent Van Gogh's "The Starry Night" (1889)

"Van Gogh's Starry Night" by Christopher S. Penn is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

The effect doesn't last long, but phew. Our brains are so bizarre.

According to a 2009 study by Japanese researchers, motion in optical illusions is still processed in the brain the same way real motion is. So don't be surprised if the moving painting makes you feel a bit woozy, if you're prone to motion sickness.

It's hard to believe that Van Gogh's "Starry Night" could be improved upon, but here we are. Definitely a "moving" experience to share with your friends.


This article originally appeared two years ago.

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Science

Neuroscientist's 'color perception' test will make you never see blue or green the same way again

This is so much more than an optical illusion.

is.myblue, Photo credit: Canva

Thought turquoise was blue? Your eyes might think differently.

A new test going viral online shows how very different we all are at perceiving color—especially when it comes to blue and green.

Designed by neuroscientist Patrick Mineault, the “Is my blue your blue?” test shows where on the blue/green spectrum you perceive each color, and how that compares to the average percentage of other people who've taken the test.

It might seem like some kind of optical illusion, but rest assured, there’s no choosing between black and gold dresses here…though it’s still pretty mind boggling.

Taking the test is pretty straightforward. As soon as you head over to the ismy.blue website, you’ll be prompted to select whether the shades that pops up on the screen is blue, or green.

At first, the contrast between the two colors is easy to spot. But as time goes on, it gets a little more challenging to decide whether you’re looking at a greenish blue…or a blueish green.

Still, the test only takes a few seconds, after which you’ll be shown a gradient chart that compares your color perception with the rest of the world who have taken the test.

The test also reveals if you see turquoise as more of a blue or green color—which was certainly news to me. Unsurprisingly my results told me I see turquoise as blue. That’s because it is blue!!! But I digress.

is my blue your blue test, is my blue your blue, optical illusionTurquoise was never such a controversial colorismy.blue

Of course, Mineault admits that the test is “far from perfect,” and limited by factors such as “the calibration of your monitor, ambient lighting, and filters such as night mode.” He also reminds us that the finds are “for entertainment purposes only.”

But truly, it does feel entertaining to be able to say that “My boundary is greener than 90%” of the population, for some strange reason. And I’m not the only one, several folks have shared their own results on X—many of whom finally have a reason for all those color debates with friends and family.





As the About section of this test notes, many experts hypothesize that language plays a major factor in how we perceive and categorize colors. And this phenomenon, often referred to as language relativity, has been the source of several scientific studies.

In one classic study from 1969, anthropologists Brent Berlin and Paul Kay investigated the color vocabulary in 100 languages and found that color terms followed a predictable hierarchy. For instance, if a language had only two color words, the words would be the equivalent of “black” and “white.” If it has three, they would be “white,” “black” and “red”. With five terms, “green” and “yellow” were added to the mix. And so on. Their findings indicated that while color perception can be affected by outside factors, such as cultural influences, there is still a universal pattern involving six basic colors: white, black, blue, yellow, green and red.

All this to say—it’s amazing how we can all look at the same thing 9in this case, the same color) and our brains paint an entirely different picture. The fact that we have at least some semblance of consensus reality is truly baffling, when you think about it.

If you’d like to see just how your blues and greens stack up with the rest of the world, you can take the “Is my blue your blue?” test here.

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Pop Culture

This mesmerizing dance routine is a cultural phenomenon in China and with good reason

Hearing impaired performers come together in perfect synchronization to share a beautiful message.

Hi China/Youtube

Dancers emulate Guan Yin, the goddess of compassion

In a world full of jaw-dropping dance routines, the Thousand Hand Guan Yin manages to captivate like no other.

A large group of performers in identical golden costumes flow together in synchronized movement so seamlessly that it appears as though one entity with several arms is moving about space.

That entity is Guan Yin, a goddess of compassion who, according to Buddhist legend, will never rest in nirvana as long as any sentient being suffers on Earth.

Guan Yin is often depicted with a thousand arms, having an eye in the palm of each hand, to symbolize an omnipresent mother figure always witnessing the pain of humanity with endless amounts of mercy, extending out one of her many arms to lend a helping hand.

The performers emulate this with intricate, delicate hand gestures while standing very close to one another, resulting in a mesmerizing optical illusion.

But the dance in and of itself isn't the most remarkable thing about this piece—each of the performers are hearing impaired.

Renowned Chinese choreographer Zhang Jigang (also known for large scale numbers like 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics opening ceremony) created the piece with The China Disabled People’s Performing Art Troupe back in 1987 to further emphasize inclusivity and compassion.

Thousand Hand Guan Yin, dance, famous dances

The Thousand Hand Guan Yin is one of China's most famous dances

scontent-lax3-1.xx.fbcdn.net

While the first iteration consisted of around 20 performers, that number has exponentially increased to between 60-80. Knowing that each of these dancers were able to sync up so flawlessly without relying on music really does make it all the more powerful.

Today, the Thousand Hand Guan Yin remains one of China’s most well known and most beloved dance routines. And thanks to the internet, we too can be inspired by its wondrous spectacle and important message.

Watch below:

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