The Illusion Only Some Can See
Ames window illusion illustrates how we don't directly perceive external reality. Special Holiday deal! Go to NordVPN.com/veritasium and use code VERITASIUM to get 68% off a 2 year plan plus 4 additional months free. It’s risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee!
Special thanks to:
Prof. Phil Kellman from UCLA Psychology kellmanlab.psych.ucla.edu
Museum of Illusions in Los Angeles for the use of their Ames Room laillusions.com
Curiosity Show - Video on Ames Illusion: ilworld.info/flow/d6GPtXutdJS8gWE/wyd-w
References:
Ames, A., Jr. (1951). Visual perception and the rotating trapezoidal window. Psychological Monographs: General and Applied, 65(7), i-32. doi.org/10.1037/h0093600
Marcel de Heer & Thomas V. Papathomas (2017) The Ames Window Illusion and Its Variations
DOI:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199794607.003.0014
Oross, Stephen, Francis, Ellie, Mauk, Deborah & Fox, Robert. (1987). The Ames Window Illusion: Perception of Illusory Motion by Human Infants. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception & Performance, 13(4), 609-613.
Behrens, R. (1987). The Life and Unusual Ideas of Adelbert Ames, Jr. Leonardo, 20(3), 273-279. doi:10.2307/1578173
Burnham, C., & Ono, H. (1969). Variables Altering Perception of the Rotating Trapezoidal Illusion. The American Journal of Psychology, 82(1), 86-95. doi:10.2307/1420609
Allport, G. W., & Pettigrew, T. F. (1957). Cultural influence on the perception of movement: The trapezoidal illusion among Zulus. The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 55(1), 104-113. doi.org/10.1037/h0049372
Zenhausern R. Effect of Perspective on Two Trapezoid Illusions. Perceptual and Motor Skills. 1969;28(3):1003-1009. doi:10.2466/pms.1969.28.3.1003
Gehringer, W. L., & Engel, E. (1986). Effect of ecological viewing conditions on the Ames' distorted room illusion. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 12(2), 181-185. doi.org/10.1037/0096-1523.12.2.181
Long, G.M., Toppino, T.C. Adaptation effects and reversible figures: A comment on Horlitz and O’Leary. Perception & Psychophysics 56, 605-610 (1994). doi.org/10.3758/BF03206956
Gregory RL. Looking through the Ames window. Perception. 2009;38(12):1739-40. doi: 10.1068/p3812ed. PMID: 20192124.
Jahoda, G. (1966). Geometric illusions and environment: A study in Ghana. British Journal of Psychology, 57(1-2), 193-199. doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8295.1966.tb01019.x
V. Mary Stewart (1974) A Cross-Cultural Test of the “Carpentered World” Hypothesis Using The Ames Distorted Room Illusion, International Journal of Psychology, 9:2, 79-89, DOI: 10.1080/00207597408247094
Margaret Kathleen Cappone (1966) The Effect of Verbal Suggestion on the Reversal Rate of the Ames Trapezoid Illusion, The Journal of Psychology, 62:2, 211-219, DOI: 10.1080/00223980.1966.10543786
Researched and written by Petr Lebedev and Derek Muller
Filmed by Derek Muller and Raquel Nuno
Animations, VFX, and Music by Jonny Hyman
Ames Room VFX and additional Ames Window animation by Nicolas Pratt
Additional Music from epidemicsound.com "Life in Color" "Singularity"
Large Ames window construction by GW Construction
Video supplied by Getty Images
I see the rotation as well
I see the illusion every time though when you were in the window it didn’t work
Are we living in an illusion ?? Or is this world for real.
I can track the window doing a rotation if I focus on the upper point of the small side, and trace out the circular path in my mind. Interestingly, this is the only illusion where I have to actively "fight" myself seeing it the wrong way. If for any moment I stop thinking about that path consciously, and just focus on the fact that it's a thing that's spinning, I lose track of it and it goes back to that oscillation.
Great as a guy who can only see with one eye I'm easily fooled... But not always. interesting thing.
One of the biggest pieces to this illusion is the way that it's "shadowed" because its shadowed the same on both sides it makes it hard for the brain interpret which way it spins. Hence why the lighting has to be just right. I feel as though the shadow has just as much to do with this illusion as the trapezoidal shape of the object.
noclip
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I was born legally blind. I have some vision but I can and can't see other things. I wonder if there are ways that this type of thing can be different due to how someone can or can't see something? I think that it would be cool to do some experiments where you take people who have different visual disabilities and have them look at different objects and in different lights. Throw in some things that would use special lenses cut differently to see if you could take that shape and make it look different from someone who has perfect vision? You talked about how a baby that is young can't see something while a baby that is older can see something? It would be interesting to find out if there are different things that can help people who are legally blind to be able to see things better just by using optical illusions? This could help different forms of construction of buildings and streets etc to be designed so people who can't see very well to have the ability to see them and access them better?
@veritasium Your conclusion is the best thing about this video. We should all be scientists of our own views and constantly question and reevaluate and search for alternatives that could broaden our thinking. As soon as we become "convinced" we know something is the moment we should probe, question and look for additional corroborating or contradicting evidence--whether political, personal, religious, or otherwise. The original definition of agnostic as coined by T. H. Huxley is, imo, the most scientific position, and can be applied to more than just a spiritual position: "Agnosticism is of the essence of science, whether ancient or modern. It simply means that a man shall not say he knows or believes that which he has no scientific grounds for professing to know or believe."
14:47 "These days a lot of people are getting basically the same fundamental information but coming to very different conclusions about the state of reality" That's why it's so important to at least try to approach the provided information from more than one vantage points.
It doesn't work for me, when there are two ropes holding it. Only on the rotating table with one support, I am confused.
Thats crazy one day of lookin at the windownext day i see it rotating
With conscious effort, I was able to perceive the full rotation but it took me a solid full 4 rotations before my brain stopped hurting and started accurately perceiving the fact that it was spinning.
If I concentrate really hard, I can force myself to see past the illusion but it takes a ton of effort. This is wild.
It’s not working for me
It took a little brain power, but I did see past the illusions, still gives a headache though.
Watched the Curiosity Show when I was young. Dean Hutton demonstrated this illusion. You’ve gone into it deeper. Nice.
Clearly this is some Time Lord dimensional engineering going on. Are you secretly Gallifreyan?
wth this is bs I only see rotating
you must be from circle land
When the information given to the masses is garbage, people will think garbage is king!
Well, You broke physics! Now go to your room.
I did it!!!!!!!!
You broke my brain with the joke
the best moment is when you finally see what’s going on after staring at it for too long
We just crossed over into the twilight zone.
Many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view.
I will use it in class. In a science and art teacher. :)
everyone: woah weird illusion me: doesnt it look like an iron door :)
Stop it
This is best illusion I have ever seen.
The first time i watched it I fell for the trick... but this time (My second time) I can see through it! I think I prefer having my brain fall for it though
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The joke is dreadful but the video rather good 👍
For the most part the illusion is hard to look past, but when it is shown from that one scene where the "window" is in the room hanging from the ceiling the space in the window does seem, at least from my view which could be wrong on my part, to throw off the illusion. Does anyone agree or disagree?
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Can you please remove the middle layer of window and try again
Recalinear :D
can't make head or tails out of what ever the hell this is
In Regards to the true light speed measurement. Please review. Two Clocks at a Distance from one another, One Laser in Center at Triangle position. Mirror Splitter sends Laser Light which Activates Digital Clocks, wich are wired back to the triangle center position. One high speed camera focused on both Clock monitors. Now block the left Laser reflection. Send light to the Right Clock. Right Clock reflects to a mirror back to the Center. Fron Center, Light reflects to the Left side. Left Side reflects straight to the Right Side, Stoping Right Clock on Arrival. Right Side Mirror reflects Laser back, straight to Left side Stoping Left Clock. By now you should have a clear Measurement.
2:21 the illusion with the help of the rubik's cube is like in video games when a distant object supposedly non apparent (because it is behind another texture closer to you), due to a bug, still appears (and I got kinda used to it, now, as I played a lot since I started) XD
you just gotta let yer head know the fat side is in the back when it is. once you unlock you mind from the false perspective you can see it.
With the ruler i can almost break the illusion
If i try hard i can see it rotating
I'm able to see it both ways but my brain prefers the illusion. Very neat!
The horses name was Friday
Rectal-Linear... a bit of an oxymoron biologically!! LOL!!!
Humm... I'm thinking of ISS and how inside, that's almost all exactly the geometry you discussed in the video. Could this be why it's square and not a tube as is the outside of ISS? I guess we will have to take all this into account as more above earth habitats are built. Something like this video just might be a way to get an idea of how a person that is interviewing for a job in microgravity may or may not be more susceptible to motion sickness.
Good demonstration later in the video of how some very talented street artists make such great illusions.
Ok Wise Guy, I was waiting for you to demonstrate how creatures with spider eyes or fly eyes would see this. Ha!
Interesting
I laughed so much. Well done, and thank you.
My brain cells: *Gone, reduced to atoms*
The ruler actually helps me see the paper moving around in a circle. It makes it easier to force my eyes and mind to focus on what is actually happening, though not much easier.
I just could'nt see the rotaton until you changed the background from black.
So much for "Seeing is believing".
when you watch this for an hour I ACTUALLY SAW IT
11:13 Time to play Megalovania on that.
I was able to see it rotating at about 6:46 and since then i've been able to see through it weirdly enough, I live in a city with many 90 degree angles so maybe since it's circular it made me see it more clearly? I don't know for sure yet but it's cool!
Hummmm any balloonist out there that watched this?
FYI anyone watching this video should do so while high, its even more mind blowing
My brain must be brocken cause I see it spinning
Anyone familiar with Buddha's wisdom teachings understands the implications of this. The emptiness teachings. Nothing is inherently existent. Emptiness. Dependent co-arising.
Diavolo and Subaru : Are you sure about that?
Trippy
This video explains how we all have conflicting views right now even tho we all have access to the same info
Totally looked like it was oscillating, but then about 2/3rds of the way through I started seeing them all as rotating once I paid really close attention for the first time. Weird
When you actually can see trough the illusion
Visual gaslighting!
I see the non-illusion.....
If you blink really fast while watching the window it almost is setting completely still and not moving at all.
True
Idk why, but the first time the illusion cycled around with ruler, I was able to see it going around. But after one cycle, it goes back to going back and forth. Then every illusion becomes clear and I can see it moving circularly.
well id say that the solution might be that our brains focus on edges all the time bcs they are much easier to translate. but we can also focus on movement and can predict what an object might do. i tried myself and managed to see the it turning. maybe it does not depend on what edges im used to, it depends on how im used to concentrate on my focus sight.
HOLY SHI- help...
So amazing!!!
what is this
The key to the illusion is actually the camera framing, which is the key to almost all of these "optical illusions". They're more camera tricks than real optical illusions. When you went to a wide shot where it wasn't taking up the entire screen against a pure black background it didn't look like anything other than what it was.
Exactly. Only works with a Head-On view. Still, that Room was amazing.!!
Brilliant vid 🤩 thank you 🙏
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Okay, l know lve no buisness in this chat area, w some very impressive minds. I've something to put out there, in hopes of someone or one's, putting it back. When He said there were infinite ways to get the same perçeption ? Was it ? I know l didn't describe it all that well, but if l had little better of an understanding, different perspective, or whatever.
It is just perception perspective illusion not rectangular illusion :). The bigger lion is a lion that is closer to you :)
This is so awesome to watch, gonna save this to watch over and over. Mind blown 🔥🔥 Thanks for the upload.
I work 3D. knowing if something is the right side up, flat, round, square or near, is my job. people who can't tell a plane from a volume should have their drivers licenses revoked.
I had to concentrate very hard, but I was able to follow the short end through its rotation. I'll never tire of optical illusions.
I focused on the shadow and the point where the ruler and the illusion. I can see it.
If I focus on 1 side I can see it spinning
I forced my brain to see it rotating and now I always see it as both rotating and oscillating. Every time I look at it I get a headache.
OH HELL YEAH I CAN'T SEE THE ILLUSION
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if i focus on a small part i can see it how it is, but if i just look without concentrating it looks odd like its defying physic lol
What a fun and educational presentation! Very nice!
Acoording time space dilation light would take different time
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The baby is an illusion. 😆
Being lightly autistic has it's advantages I suppose ;)
I can see the normal illusion spinning only with effort. With you inside it, I can only see it oscillating with effort.
i get how it works
My brain feels attacked. Stop, sir, for you are confu-u-u-s.. ...*error...does not compute* ... ... .. *click*
Is it weird that I can see both I see it rotate and oscillate
If you look at a bottom corner only, and avoid the whole picture you can see it is rotating. If you take it all in the perspective change of shadowing fools the mind.