The Brain’s Trickery: Are We Living in a Visual Illusion?

Kashish Dineshbhai Mulani, B.Optom. Student

KD Institute of Allied Health Sciences, Ahmedabad, India

Everything we view goes through numerous layers before generating an inverted image on our retina, but we accept it as reality. Optical illusions call into doubt this faith, raising the question of whether perception is true or a mental fabrication.⁽¹⁾ The actual and virtual worlds frequently mix, leaving us wondering if what we are seeing is an illusion manufactured by our brains. Our brain’s interpretation of pictures, colours, and movement may fool us, proving that perception is not always accurate.

The Study of Visual Illusions

The study of illusions began with Johann Joseph Oppel (1815-1894), who classified geometrical-optical illusions.⁽²⁾ These size, shape, and perspective aberrations served as the cornerstone for current visual perception studies. Scientists have subsequently investigated how the brain interprets visual information, frequently leading to misinterpretations.⁽³⁾ Visual illusions are more than simple gimmicks; they provide valuable insights into how our visual system works. Even artificial intelligence, which is supposed to mirror human vision, is susceptible to illusions, casting doubt on the reliability of perception.⁽⁴⁾ The fact that AI struggles with visual deception indicates that our knowledge of perception remains insufficient.

Illusions vs. Hallucinations

Gestalt psychology and neuroscience show that illusions emerge when the brain misinterprets data, but hallucinations occur without external input.⁽³⁾ Hallucinations, unlike illusions, do not require any visual stimulation and are produced by the brain. The exact processes behind hallucinations are unknown, however, they may be related to anomalies in certain brain regions and neurotransmitter imbalances. Some hallucinations mimic dreams, leading us to question if our subconscious mind actively influences what we see and experience.

AI and Vision: A Misleading Comparison?

Artificial neural networks trained for visual tasks produce illusory responses comparable to humans but with significant distinctions. This shows that illusions are essential to all visual systems, biological or artificial.⁽⁴⁾ However, AI lacks the cognitive flexibility of the human brain and so sees illusions more mechanically. While AI systems can be trained to recognise patterns in visual input, they lack the complex processing capabilities that people use to comprehend context, meaning, and emotion in what they perceive. The way AI sees illusions supports the notion that perception is more than just processing visuals; it is an active creation of reality.

Conclusion: Is Reality an Illusion?

Vision science, which ranges from classical allusions to AI research, calls into question our perception of reality. The brain creates perception, which occasionally distorts the truth.^(1,2) Illusions, whether caused by cognitive biases, visual cues, or subconscious effects, serve as reminders that seeing is not always believing.⁽³⁾ Even artificial intelligence, which is supposed to mimic human vision, can be duped, demonstrating the complexities of perception.⁽⁴⁾ As we continue to investigate vision science, the study of illusions may help us better understand how our thoughts form the world around us—and if what we see is actually genuine.

References:

1. Todorović, D. (2020). What Are Visual Illusions?*. In Perception (Vol. 49, Issue 11, pp. 1128–1199). SAGE Publications Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1177/0301006620962279
2. Wade, N. J., Todorović, D., Phillips, D., & Lingelbach, B. (2017). Johann Joseph Oppel (1855) on Geometrical–Optical Illusions: A Translation and Commentary. I-Perception, 8(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/2041669517712724
3. De Jong, J. R. (2011). Visual deception: The historical connection between illusions and hallucinations from a Gestalt theoretical and cognitive neuroscience perspective. http://www.gutenberg.org.
4. Gomez-Villa, A., Martín, A., Vazquez-Corral, J., Bertalmío, M., & Malo, J. (2019). Visual Illusions Also Deceive Convolutional Neural Networks: Analysis and Implications. http://arxiv.org/abs/1912.01643