Here's why our senses sometimes play tricks on us

Aug 7, 2015 09:21 GMT  ·  By

We know the world around us through our senses. The problem is that, every once in a while, we don't perceive things quite as they are. Why? Plainly put: because our brain and our senses are not as reliable as we would like them to be. 

The video below, the result of a collaboration between the American Chemical Society and Inside Science TV, explains optical illusions.

Such mishaps in perception occur because the human brain cannot process all the visual information it receives at any given point at once. Instead, it takes shortcuts, meaning that it focuses on what appears to be of more interest.

Optical illusions are designed to compel the brain to focus on specific visual cues and let others fade into the background. It's these other cues that, when out of focus, don't really look right and translate into illusions.

So, basically, optical illusions distort the way we see the world around us by taking advantage of limitations of our sense of sight and tricking the brain into focusing on certain things while ignoring others.

Optical illusions can distort both the shape and the color of objects. Sometimes, they can make things look like they are moving when, in fact, they are not.