New Optical Illusion Makes 86% of People Feel Like They're Falling Into a Black Hole

Look at the black blob in the center as you fill your screen. You can find the original version here. The blob is seen by most people as expanding or falling toward the hole. This new-to-science illusion has given researchers more insight into how human vision works, and it shows how our perception of the world is shaped by predictions our brain makes.

This black blob is set against a pattern of smaller black dots on a white background and is unlike other black hole illusions that have resulted in someone falling into a big hole. According to the study, it creates a false sense of movement that causes the observer's pupils to expand. Even if the observer is looking at the illusion in a well-lit room, the physical reaction will happen no matter where they are. The illusion shows how our brains compensate for the time it takes to see the world around us in real-time.

Perceiving-the-present is a type of optical illusion that was first named back in 2008. It can take 100 milliseconds to make sense of the data generated when light hits our eyes. Someone walking slowly can cover as much as 10 centimeters, which is not insignificant, and demonstrates why our brains have needed to develop these compensation mechanisms and frequently make predictions as to what we will be seeing.

The illusion of brightness is shown in Akiyoshi Kitaoka's image. When we see the white at the center of the illusion, we think it's brighter than the white surrounding it, but in reality it's the same brightness as the white surrounding it. Even though the lighting in the environment doesn't change, a subject's pupils will contract when observing this illusion.

It is believed that the illusion causes a physical reaction in the eyes because the brain is trying to protect the eye from the bright light. The center of the illusion is no brighter than the other white areas, but the arrangement of shapes and the dark-to-light gradient creates a perceptual correlation to walking through a forest filled with trees. Even though the observer isn't at risk of looking at the sun, the brain predicts that will happen and the pupils react accordingly.

The researchers found that the pupils expanded when they looked at the image, as their brains believed them to be moving toward a dark space. The eyes were made ready to gather more light. The illusion of forward movement is thanks in part to the black blob's softened edges, which create the appearance of motion blur, the same thing one would see when walking towards a dark cave.

At any given time, what we think we're seeing could be just an educated guess that our brain is making about what we might be seeing 100 milliseconds from now. The team is not sure why some people did not have the physical pupil response. Do those people have a disadvantage when it comes to navigating the world?