The science behind a mind-bending optical illusion that makes people see letters in different colors

A lot of times what people see isn't necessarily the way things are and it's all about how the mind perceives them, which is what optical illusions are born out of. One such visual that plays games with the brain has been shared by Lenstore, a UK-based lens vendor. The image shows a series of mauve letters cascading down each side of the image along with a row of alphabets spanning diagonally across the purple gradient background.

Despite it being a still image, characters appear darker or lighter depending on where they fall on the backdrop, once an individual looks closely. 

For example, against the darker purple, the letters appear to be of a lighter shade, while they shift to being darker when placed atop a lighter purple shade. Moreover, the diagonal letters also appear to change colors as they move across the gradient background.

This happens because of the cells in our retina which are responsible for sensing light, as per Roshni Patel, Optometrist and Head of Professional Services at Lenstore, via The Mirror.

"They then pass information through signals via the optic nerve to the brain, where it then tries to figure out what we are seeing by what signals it receives. Certain exposure to brightness, patterns and colors can impact perceptions and that is what occurs when we see this color saturation optical illusion."

This is not the first time that the internet has been talking about mind-boggling images. Back in December 2023, an image that did something similar with numbers had created a buzz on the internet. In that particular image, different people were able to perceive the numbers differently due to the fallacy of hidden objects that led to optical illusions. 

According to experts, optical illusions are not just a trick of the eye but involve the brain's interpretation capabilities. Other than this, cultural factors are also known to influence how we perceive these illusions. Back in the 16th century, Aristotle described how easily the mind can be tricked, using the example of a waterfall. He said that when you look at a waterfall for sometime, and shift your gaze to stationary rocks nearby, you will be able to see the rocks moving as well.

With the help of MRI scans, scientists have understood that there are neurons that actually compete with one another to see light and dark spots. It's important to note that not all illusions work in the same way, and none of these theories can be applied to every optical illusion. Moreover, scientists have found that humans are not the only ones to experience this. Optical illusions also occur in insects with eyes and brains very different from ours. Back in 2017, a study showed that bees are susceptible to the Ebbinghaus illusion, where two figures are seen as being of different size, depending on the surrounding objects.

Moreover, it may seem that we know a lot about optical illusions, but the reality is far from it. Much remains to be explored and learned when it comes to our illusionary sense of perception.