Spinning optical illusions are some of the most mind-boggling out there – as was proved by the amount of people that viewed that spinning horse optical illusion many years ago (it almost broke Creative Bloq). And there's another rotating illusion that's currently causing almost as much uproar – a new version of the spinning ballerina (original version above), which has been shared on Reddit. It is similar to the original but turns a bit slower and has a different graphical style.
As with the 'famous' one above, the psychological theory goes that if you can see it spinning both ways you probably have a higher IQ... which is bad news for me as I can only see it turning one way (to the left, if you're interested) no matter what technique I try.
People are in a lively debate over which way it's spinning, and suggesting some seemingly unhinged ways to get her to spin the opposite way. Seriously, you don't want to do this in a public place. Have a look at the illusion below, then I'll dive into what each way means – and the weird ways people have made it reverse.
Which Way Is She Spinning? from r/opticalillusions
So, much like that iconic animal illusion that tells you how creative you are, the way you see this one spinning supposedly determines which side of your brain is the most dominant – the left or right. If you have left-dominant brain the theory goes you are more creative, and right-dominant people are more analytical.
But some people are determined to see the illusion go both ways, and have taken to Reddit to find out how to do it. Some of these suggestions feel a bit unhinged, but you can absolutely see the logic... even if not everyone sees positive results.
"Try peripheral vision," one comment says. So far so sensible. But they go onto say "What works for me is holding the phone on the left side of my head to make her spin counterclockwise and on the right side to make her spin clockwise". Erm, sure.
"If you are viewing this on your phone just shake it until it turns the other way," suggests another helpful illusion-conquerer. "I had to shake pretty violently, but it worked for me too. Weird stuff!" someone responded. Better than shaking your actual head so much your brain bounces around (speaking for a friend, of course).
Another suggestion also feels a bit... unlikely but is a mental strategy rather than a physical one. "Try to say “her knee is behind her now” as it comes around to the front," offers one Redditor. And they actually get a good response, with a couple of comments commending their approach. "This actually worked for me!"
Others say you should blink repeatedly, and focus on the bent knee to make it work. You can read more suggestions over on the Reddit thread.
So why does it work? Well, there's actually also a comment on the Reddit thread explaining extremely well:
"It’s all about frame rate and your brain filling in details," the comment explains.
"The image isn’t spinning at all - it’s a 2D image and you can think of it as basically sliding back and forth on the midpoint line (think of he knee – it slides to center then back out the other side to max then back to center)[.]
"But we are humans and our brain say… no – that’s a ballerina … they are 3D, it she has to be spinning and the knee isn’t coming to midline it’s going in front or behind her because that’s how people move. And so your brain just picks a way it’s spinning.
"Blinking fast lowers the frame rate so you only see it in a few areas of the “spin” so it’s easier to “tell” your brain she’s spinning clockwise or counter clockwise and it will fill in the gaps.
"When you are watching at full frame rate you are asking your brain to flop when you are “seeing” her spin, and its harder for your brain to change because it thinks it’s seeing it spin. Lower the frame rate and you just see snap shots (like someone dancing with a strobe light) and you get to more easily change your brains perspective".
So there we are! For an illusion that's a different kind of dizzying, see this Van Gogh painting in a whole other light.
