A blurry heart seems to be more fickle than a heart in focus, at least when it comes to visual perception. , and from the University of Tokyo in Japan found that by drawing figures with blurry edges, and using the colours red and blue, they could create shapes that seemed to pulse (see above). In comparison, a shape with defined edges doesn鈥檛 have the same effect.
Kohske says that he noticed the illusion by chance in he was creating to visualise his research data. After surveying similar known illusions, his team discovered that theirs was novel.
Advertisement
Similar illusions are produced when an object鈥檚 blurry contour doesn鈥檛 provide enough detail about the edge of the figure: it gives our eyes an idea of its shape, proportion and orientation, but doesn鈥檛 clearly define its boundary. A wobble is perceived as our brain tries to figure out where the shape ends and the background begins.
Kohske and his team think this may explain the pulsing heart, although they also think the way we process colour is at play. The illusion doesn鈥檛 seem to occur when other combinations of colours are used, or when the images are reproduced in black and white (see second image, right).
See more: Don鈥檛 believe your eyes: This year鈥檚 best illusions