Optical illusion that causes brain to IMAGINE color that doesn’t exist leaves the internet baffled

Look closely at this optical illusion. What do you see?

At first glance, it seems simple enough.

Going counterclockwise, starting from the top, you’ll see a blue circle and then a magenta circle, but when you hit the third rounded shape, the answer is a bit more complicated.

If the last circle is yellow, your eyes have been fooled – because if you focus on the color, you’ll see that it’s actually black and white.

But don’t feel too bad, because you’re not the only one who was betrayed by their eyes.

Recently, the optical illusion resurfaced Reddit after it was initially shared by the Kyoto-based maker Akiyoshi Kitaokawho is a psychology professor at Japan’s Ritsumeikan University.

Redditor Eumaeu5 posted the image with the caption, “There is no yellow in this image (cover all but a few ‘yellow’ lines to prove it). Your brain expects yellow and fills in the gaps.’

But many were not convinced.

“There’s actually yellow. Even after covering the colors I can see it and it’s even shaped like a circle. Screenshot taken to confirm and there IS YELLOW,” one person said.

Social media users quickly corrected them.

Thought the same. It is the transition to black lines from blue that causes this. It’s actually white,” one commented.

“I also took a screenshot, but unfortunately I have to inform you that there is no yellow. Your mind is still lying to you,” added another.

“You didn’t wait long enough for the effect to fade when you looked at the whole frame. Hold your hand there longer and keep staring, it won’t take more than 60 seconds,” a third person said.

But on closer inspection, the “yellow” circle is actually made up of black and white lines

‘The circle is formed by the color change of the lines from blue to black. The white background is in fact all white and only white. No yellow. I was amazed when it worked.’

And Akiyoshi himself confirmed “the yellowish part consists of black and white stripes.”

A Redditor explained what happened in the optical illusion.

Your brain has an automatic white balance function. Because all the lines are blue except in the “yellow circle,” it tricks your brain into adapting to a cool white environment, such as daylight or an overcast day,” they said.

“The result is that it also adjusts everything around the actually black lines to be perceived as warmer. That way white becomes warm white.’

The original poster added, “From a distance (the image, not zoomed in), your brain is telling you that these lines should be blue, because all the others seem to be.

“That and that white and black are tones, not colors, the brain is trying to identify a color… yellow.” remember that there are three types of cones in our eyes: red, green and blue.

“This and the brain that understands what it sees decides on yellow, because subconsciously you know that yellow and blue make green.”

It’s not the first time Akiyoshi’s optical illusions have been baffled.

Last October, another of his creations stunned the internet, with the image featuring small, connected gray squares that seem to move right before your eyes.

But the figures on the screen are actually static – you see them as shifting because your brain is tricked by illusory movements.

The image challenges viewers to look past the illusion and stop the moving squares for at least 10 seconds.