Headache-inducing spiral illusion explained

Tuesday, September 11, 2012 - 18:00 in Paleontology & Archaeology

Warning: This optical illusion might give you a headache. At a glance, the swirls of tilted black-and-white squares create the perception of a spiral. Look more closely and you realize that the squares don't form a coil at all; they trace out four perfectly round, concentric circles. The cognitive dissonance between your overall impression of spiraling and your recognition of individual circles … well, it hurts.

Read the whole article on MSNBC: Science

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