Can YOU see them? Mind-bending optical illusion has 16 circles hidden in plain sight

A mind-bending optical illusion involving “hidden circles” is leaving people on the internet stunned.

At first glance, the “Suitcase Illusion” appears to show treasure chests, the recessed panels that often adorn ceilings, especially in churches and temples.

On closer inspection, the image has 16 circles hidden in plain sight – but can you spot where they are?

Once you see them, the captivating image plays havoc on the eyes as it seems to switch back and forth between the two forms.

It follows the incredible traffic light optical illusion shared with TikTok that tricks your brain to see red where there is none.

The Coffer Illusion was created in 2006 by Anthony Norcia, a professor of psychology and visual development at Stanford University in California.

“The first time viewers of this screen don’t see the 16 circles segmented from the background,” Professor Norcia said.

Rather, they see a series of rectangles that they often describe as ‘door panels’.

The illusion juxtaposes segmentation cues with what appears to be a very strong prior [knowledge] to interpret the image as a series of 3D structures with closed boundaries.’

In his study, Professor Norcia showed the image to about 100 people who took an average of 45 seconds to see the circles.

He said some observers take much longer, but others notice the circles after a very short time — just 10 to 15 seconds.

The Coffer Illusion is making the rounds on Twitter after being posted by Italy-based engineer Massimo Orgiazzi.

It seems that the general consensus is that it takes some time to notice the circles that are found between the rectangles.

One Twitter user said, “It took a while and I had to do that weird thing with my eyes to see those hidden pictures of those posters in the 90s.”

There they are! The circles are hard to spot at first, but are located between the rectangles

Another said: ‘I see them, I see them. Once you see them, it feels so much better.”

Another user on Twitter said of the hidden circles, “I spent ten full, intense minutes watching them, but unfortunately I couldn’t see them.”

The illusion plays on the fact that the visual brain is heavily focused on identifying objects in what we see – in this case, engraved wooden panels.

Rectangles are often more common than circles in our everyday environment, and so the brain may be focused on perceiving rectangular shapes.

Another famous optical illusion that plays tricks on the brain is the “expanding hole,” created by Akiyoshi Kitaoka at Ritsumeikan University in Kobe, Japan.

As we look at it, the black mass in the center of the image appears to grow larger, as if it is moving into a dark environment such as a tunnel, or falling into a hole.

Professor Kitaoka is already known as the creator of optical illusions, including the famous spinning snake illusion and the ‘Asahi’ brightness illusion.

The Asahi illusion has a central area that looks brighter than its white background, even though it’s the same white all over.

The Asahi illusion (pictured) has a central area that looks brighter than the white background, even though it’s the same white all over

Optical illusions work because our eyes and brains “talk to each other in a very simple language, like a child who doesn’t know many words,” according to experts at the University of Queensland’s Brain Institute.

“Usually that’s not a problem and our brain can understand what the eyes are telling it,” they say.

“But your brain also has to “fill in the blanks,” meaning it has to make some guesses based on the simple cues from the eyes.

“Most of the time those guesses are right…but sometimes the brain guesses wrong.”

Optical illusion reveals how depression can alter visual perception

Having depression makes the effects of some optical illusions less pronounced, a 2021 study found.

Experts tested the visual perception of people with and without depression, using small squares of the same color on different backgrounds.

The depressed patients perceived the visual illusion presented on a computer screen as significantly weaker.

The middle squares of A and B are the same; the middle squares of C and D are the same. In experiments, patients with depression did not feel as much contrast in the middle squares – hence they had weaker visual perception overall

The scientists say there is altered cortical processing of visual contrast during a major depressive episode.

This change is likely present in multiple types of depression and will recover in part if and when patients get better, they said.

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