[besson3c]

This is an absolutely *crazy* optical illusion:

Right Brain v Left Brain | Herald Sun


Sit and stare at her for a while and she will start to twirl the other way from the direction she was original twirling in. This is just a looping animation, no tricks here, just optical coolness.

[Chuckit]

I initially saw her as turning clockwise, but I can see it either way.

[brassplayersrock²]

sweet. i'm into this type of stuff. notice how when you just stare at the dancer that it goes ccw, but when you start to read any of the text on the page, the dancer goes cw

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

I initially saw her as turning clockwise, but I can see it either way.

Can you control it? I can't... Which way did it twirl for you first? Are you thought of as right or left brained, and does this experiment substantiate this?

[lpkmckenna]

She starts out ccw for me, but switches after about 5 sec. I have to close and reopen the webpage to see it ccw again.

[lpkmckenna]

I think the effect is created by the silhouette's lack of apparent depth.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by besson3c 

Can you control it?

Yeah. I can think of which way she's going to turn next and that's the way she "goes."

Originally Posted by besson3c 

Which way did it twirl for you first? Are you thought of as right or left brained, and does this experiment substantiate this?

Different people think of me different ways, I think. I suppose I should be classified as left-brained going by their list, because I have a strong interest in logic and language and I have poor spatial perception. But I saw it turning clockwise at first, so who knows?

[TheoCryst]

It's always clockwise for me. I've seen this a million times, and it's NEVER been ccw for more than a few moments. Lame.

[brassplayersrock²]

does it almost stop for anyone else when it starts to switch directions?

[misc]

Fake.

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by misc 

Fake.

Nope... I watched it with my wife and it changed directions at different times for us.

[ghporter]

If we're talking about "Clockwise" and "Counterclockwise" as seen from above, she goes clockwise for me. Can't see how it would work in the other direction even. This is kind of odd, since supposedly this means I'm overwhelmingly "right-brained." As a scientist and therapist, that doesn't make sense to me...

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

If we're talking about "Clockwise" and "Counterclockwise" as seen from above, she goes clockwise for me. Can't see how it would work in the other direction even. This is kind of odd, since supposedly this means I'm overwhelmingly "right-brained." As a scientist and therapist, that doesn't make sense to me...

How long did you stare at it? Were you trying to relax your eyes?

[goMac]

I actually saw it both ways at first, but it seemed to settle on cw.

[Teronzhul]

Originally Posted by misc 

Fake.

Nah, I can force it to change direction by scanning my eyes left and right off of the image. It took some time, and for a while I was thinking my brain was broken since it would only go ccw.

[Tomchu]

Look away from it, focus on something else, and out of the corner of your eye try to notice which way she's turning. That's the only way I could make it work clockwise for me. Focusing on it was always counter-clockwise.

It definitely works both ways though.

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by besson3c 

How long did you stare at it? Were you trying to relax your eyes?

Ok, a little time and sort of unfocusing and she was suddenly going the other way. This is one for my neuro professor!

[Lateralus]

CCW.

Watched it for quite a while, read the page, and watched it again. Always CCW.

[dav]

always starts out ccw, but i can switch her back and forth.

[sek929]

I was able to switch back and forth between the two directions, although not always intentionally.

[Buckaroo]

I'm on a iPhone and I don't see any twirling

[ghporter]

It's an animated GIF-if you don't have that functionality enabled you won't see anything move

[Stogieman]

At first I saw her turning ccw. I had to use my peripheral vision to see her move cw. Now I can change direction at will. To the point were it looks like her foot is always in front her, swaying side to side.

[Ghoser777]

Open up the image in graphics converter and you can see why it works. It's clearly clockwise until about frame 10 and then one step at a time and it will look counter clockwise till frame 34.

[sek929]

Originally Posted by Ghoser777 

Open up the image in graphics converter and you can see why it works. It's clearly clockwise until about frame 10 and then one step at a time and it will look counter clockwise till frame 34.

That's odd, since many people report it spinning CCW from the start.

[AKcrab]

Weird. It was initially clockwise for me, and I could not get it to change. Tried again; this time looking from a greater distance, and saw the switch. For me, fixating on the outstretched foot was the key.

[MM-o4]

I had anti clockwise then clockwise. Freaky. I even saved it and looked at the frames in preview just to make sure something dodgy wasn't going on

tis coolness.

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by Ghoser777 

Open up the image in graphics converter and you can see why it works. It's clearly clockwise until about frame 10 and then one step at a time and it will look counter clockwise till frame 34.

Originally Posted by sek929 

That's odd, since many people report it spinning CCW from the start.

It is NOT in either direction. I looked at all the frames (to see why I couldn't see it going clockwise) and it is as pure a silhouette as you'd want. It cannot be directional and must be interpreted to have any direction. Really.

[zro]

I can stare all day and she won't change direction until I make her.

By that I mean I tell myself, "Her leg is passing behind her" and vice versa.

[Ghoser777]

I think if you stare at the foot on the ground, you can see that it's "naturally" supposed to be a clockwise spin. Also, if you look at frame 1, her right leg is straight out - as you start stepping though frames 2-5, the right leg is swinging out to the right in a clockwise motion, and the foot on the floor shows that motion as well. In those same frames, you'll see that the shadow or residue of the motion is to the left of the leg. But if you look at her head, something completely different is happening! Her head and especially he ponytail is spinning to the left or counter clockwise. So I think that's the trick - the head and feet are actually oriented in a way that they look like they're going in the opposite direction.

[Tyre MacAdmin]

You should have made this a Poll!!

She started ccw for me... it helped me to look at only the bottom half of the woman to see the cw movement.

[Ghoser777]

I guess I can some up the question this way - if she spins to the right, you stare at a woman's ass/legs, if she spins to the left, you stare at her breasts/eyes.

[design219]

CCW for me. But after a moment, I can look at her legs and get her to go the other way.

She's cute. I wonder is she also swings?

[SSharon]

clockwise for me, right from the start.

[TheoCryst]

Originally Posted by Ghoser777 

I guess I can some up the question this way - if she spins to the right, you stare at a woman's ass/legs, if she spins to the right, you stare at her breasts/eyes.

One of those should be left, I'm not sure which.

Oh, and *insert joke about "goes both ways" here*

[- - e r i k - -]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

If we're talking about "Clockwise" and "Counterclockwise" as seen from above, she goes clockwise for me. Can't see how it would work in the other direction even. This is kind of odd, since supposedly this means I'm overwhelmingly "right-brained." As a scientist and therapist, that doesn't make sense to me...

Ditto. Apart from being the rapist that is.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by - - e r i k - - 

Ditto. Apart from being the rapist that is.

And what was your bid?

Texas with a dollar sign!

[- - e r i k - -]

Seriously. I've stared till my eyes water. Tried looking below her, focusing on her head, forcing myself to think "other way", checking my peripheral vision. She still just goes clockwise. Are you people having me on here?

[Uncle Skeleton]

I don't think it's right that they have her nipples sticking out. Or is that part of the illusion, like a rorschach test?

[Lateralus]

Yeah.

If you see nipples, you're a man.

[andreas_g4]

It spun ccw for me initially, but after examining the illusion more closely I can now make her turn as I want. I just have to think about her foot moving in front of her leg or behind it. This is cool!

EDIT: Wait, update! Now that I tried to make her change direction every half-turn she spins only half turn now… and I can't make her completing one full cycle without concentrating very hard! That kind of bugs me now.

[exca1ibur]

Clockwise for me from the start, but I can see it either way if I focus.

[MM-o4]

'counter clockwise' or is it 'anti clockwise' whats the dealy yo!

[voodoo]

She spings clockwise for me all the time -- except if I concentrate.

I can make her spin counter-clockwise.

I can make all girls spin

V

[vintage]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

If we're talking about "Clockwise" and "Counterclockwise" as seen from above, she goes clockwise for me. Can't see how it would work in the other direction even. This is kind of odd, since supposedly this means I'm overwhelmingly "right-brained." As a scientist and therapist, that doesn't make sense to me...

Same here. I started at it for a long time, and she'd only go clockwise. What I did after that was wait until her foot was almost all the way to the right, then opened my eyes, and forced her foot into the background. Then when it went to the left, I told my brain it is coming toward me.

It does work both ways, but what's really odd is how badly my brain keeps spinning her clockwise, considering how the list of left brain tendencies describes me almost entirely, and how the right brain tendencies are all things that are pretty much the opposite of me. I suppose I am a risk taker, and I do have decent spatial perception... but... other than that.

Very strange.

[TETENAL]

Originally Posted by besson3c 

Can you control it? I can't...

It's a silhouette, so at any given time you could see her from the front or the back. The silhouette would be the same so your brain has just to pick one. The turning direction depends on this arbitrary decision. That means you control the direction by just deciding that you now see her from the opposite side. I find it easiest to switch when the leg is pointing directly towards me or back from me. At that moment just think the leg points in the opposite direction and she turns the other way around. This way you can control the turning direction.

[vintage]

Originally Posted by Ghoser777 

I think if you stare at the foot on the ground, you can see that it's "naturally" supposed to be a clockwise spin. Also, if you look at frame 1, her right leg is straight out - as you start stepping though frames 2-5, the right leg is swinging out to the right in a clockwise motion, and the foot on the floor shows that motion as well. In those same frames, you'll see that the shadow or residue of the motion is to the left of the leg. But if you look at her head, something completely different is happening! Her head and especially he ponytail is spinning to the left or counter clockwise. So I think that's the trick - the head and feet are actually oriented in a way that they look like they're going in the opposite direction.

Wow. I've been staring at it, noticed the difference in height of her feet, and was convinced she was spinning clockwise. Then I read your post. You absolutely nailed it. If you look at her legs, she's spins clockwise. Look at the top half, she goes the opposite direction.

Very strange.

[Apemanblues]

She was anti-clockwise at first for a few turns, then she flipped counter clockwise, then I flipped her back again, then she introduced me to her parents.

[Paco500]

I could only see clockwise for a while- but if I scrolled down so only legs were showing, I could get her to switch.

[Oisín]

Originally Posted by andreas_g4 

It spun ccw for me initially, but after examining the illusion more closely I can now make her turn as I want. I just have to think about her foot moving in front of her leg or behind it. This is cool!

EDIT: Wait, update! Now that I tried to make her change direction every half-turn she spins only half turn now… and I can't make her completing one full cycle without concentrating very hard! That kind of bugs me now.

Finally someone else.

No matter how hard I try, I have never been able to see her do a full circle. To me, she always does half a spin CW, then magically ‘jumps’ 180 degrees and does the other half of the circle CCW. I can switch between ‘first CW, then CCW’ and ‘first CCW, then CW’ at will, though.

Not sure if that makes me left-brained, right-brained, or just plain braindead.