50 Times People Had To Do A Double Take To Understand What They Were Looking At (New Pics)
Our pattern-recognizing brain can be a little too eager to help us and will just tell us what it thinks we see. As a result, we’ll happily accept a further on, black cat as just a shadow and a series of scratches on a boat as a wonderful image of a tropical island. So it would be best to always look twice, not just when crossing the street, but when seeing almost anything.
The mildly interesting subreddit, on top of being quite humble, gathers the best happy little coincidences our brains and eyes put together. So scroll down and get comfortable, since you’ll probably be staring at some of these for a bit. Make sure to upvote your favorites and if you want some more things that look like other things, Bored Panda has got you covered, you can find them here and here.
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This Agate That Looks Like A Wildfire
The Mushroom On This Dog's Snoot Looks Like An Upvote
The Way The Sunlight Reflects Off My Vase Makes It Look Like Smoke
Some illusionists even try to get people to “fall” for these tricks through knowledge of psychology and clever design. One of the better-known, intentional examples is the Rabbit-Duck illusion, which is a sketch of either the head of a rabbit or a duck. The same person can respond that they see different woodland creatures at different times of the year, though this may be because there is no actual reward for saying that you can recognize both, just the expectation that you see something.
In the case of the rabbit-duck, duck-rabbit, or however you prefer to call it, the brain is creating a full image out of disparate pieces. Like the images here, it’s just our mind trying to figure out what is going on, while filtering everything through what we already know. Unfortunately, our brain can only work with what our senses give it, and once it’s made up its (or our) mind, it might be disinclined to help you see what’s actually happening. So in the case of the two cats, it might not notice the second cat because it’s already ‘established’ that the first cat’s shadow is visible.
The Way The Light Shines Through The Bookcase Makes A Cityscape Shadow
I Present To You The Rare And Wonderful Dogtopus
Pen Made Of Recycled Water Bottles Casts A Shadow Of A Water Bottle
Camouflage works in similar ways, by hijacking the methods our mind uses to determine what is what. Once we have accepted that a clump of bushes is a clump of bushes, it will fade into the back of our minds. We might only start to see the hypothetical camouflaged man if we are actively looking for someone or something that may be hiding in the clump of bushes. Animals use this strategy to great effect, while humans, as usual, just copy their homework to replicate the patterns, colors, and shapes found in nature.
Sunlight Through This Fountain Looks Like It Is Pouring Lava - l'Aquila, Italy
My Friend's Snake Has The Superman Logo Naturally Emblazoned On Its Skin
These Fishnet Stockings Made From The Table’s Shadow
Sometimes nature itself conspires to trick and confuse us. For example, a mirage is caused by light bending in such a way that a human, normally depicted as tired and thirsty, sees reflections of things further away or in the sky. Often in popular media, the person, no doubt wandering through the desert, sees an oasis and drags themselves towards it only to find more desert. This is actually not a mirage, simply some sort of psychosis. A real mirage is just the bending of light that can actually be caught on camera. Mirages aren’t limited to the desert and can be found near large bodies of water as well.
The Colors In This Piece Of Agate Look Like A Sunset
This Bubble In A Frozen-Over Ice Fishing Hole Looks Like The Moon Rising Over A Forest
Frozen Feature Shaped Like A Mushroom
Mother nature wasn’t done with just mirages, certain illusions can also be found near obstructed horizons, where our brains create a slope on a hill that is actually stable. This is sometimes referred to as a gravity hill, though it’s a lot less sci-fi than it sounds. It is also sometimes called a magnetic hill, though neither gravity nor magnets have anything to do with it. It’s caused by surrounding items appearing straight when they are actually leaning, making the ground appear like it’s sloping in one direction or another.
The Inside Of My Red Onion Looks Like A Lotus Flower
My Blinds Reflection Looks Like Lunar Phases On My Wall
The Sunset Lighting Makes It Look Like Firebreath
We sometimes create these illusions ourselves, like the watercolor effect. It comes about when a colored line on a white background appears to ‘bleed’ parts of itself into the white area. Our eyes see this similar to a watercolor painting, where the edges of the brushstroke are lighter than the center. While this actually happens when using watercolors, in the watercolor illusion, the colored lines do not actually have a pale border of any sort. While it is less understood than the others mentioned here, scientists believe it could be a result of our brain ‘splitting’ the image into a background and something placed upon it, i.e. the line.
My SO’s Mother Has Cutting Boards That Look Like Books When They’re Put Away
My Cat's Shadow Is Actually My Other Cat
The Center Of This Tree Looks Like A Heart
The simplest way a layperson can go about making something confusing would be to apply something called contour rivalry, which is also a great band name. Simply put, it’s the process of using shared indents, lines, and groves to create a series of images that change when viewed from different angles. This method has been known for over two thousand years, but creative artists can still use it to trick and confuse viewers.
Looks Like They’re Flying To The Moon
A Moth On My Mini Buddha Statue Makes It Look Like Buddha's Wearing A Coat Or Cape
Freezing Rain On Tree Branches Look Like Blood Vessels
This Onion Ring Shaped Like A Perfect Treble Clef
This Basket, Flattened By A Semi-Truck, Now Looks Like A 3D Picture Of A Basket
Even this is way better art than some of the crazy stuff I hear people call art. Lol
Cat 3000 Heat Radiator
Coco Biting On A Toy Lightsaber, Looks Like He's Shooting His Laser Beam
These Opals Look Like Mini-Hatching Dragon Eggs
Shadow Follows
This Perfect Heart Shaped Cactus I Found
Pineapple?
The Shadow Of Two Mailboxes Makes A Perfect Up Arrow
This Grape That Looks Like A Pumpkin
Tiny Natural Geode Shaped Like Foot Prints
My One Dog Looks Like My Other Dog's Shadow
Haha, legit took my brain way too long to register the ACTUAL 2nd pupper!
Light Reflected Onto This Wall Looks Like Chromosomes During Meiosis
The Sunset Looks Like A Forest Fire
I once saw a sunrise through the trees I thought it was a fire. Wish I snapped it
I Got A Chicken Tender Shaped Like Africa
Camera Flash Made My Cat’s Eyes Look Like Flames
A Cloud That Looks Like A Hat
This Man Stopped By My Friends' Vintage Clothing Store, And Their Ring Light Looks Like A Halo Above His Head
The Tree Outside My Kitchen Has An Almost Perfectly Pi Symbol Shaped Branch
The Frozen Windows On My Plane Made It Look Like We Were Flying Through A Nebula
After Five Years Of Use, My Pizza Stone Looks Like The Moon
This Frozen Puddle Looks Like A Topographic Map
The Shadow From This Plant Makes It Look Like There's A Decal On My Friend's Car
This Pot I Was Letting Soak Formed A Yin Yang In The Grease And Soap
Random Blister That Looks Like An Exclamation Point Appeared On My Finger
The Way The Paint Dried In This Old Bottle Looks Like A Tidal Wave
The Shadow From A Rivet Makes It Look Like Sacajawea's Smoking A Blunt
My Blue Moon Beer Has An Orange, But It Looks Like There Is A Fried Egg On Top
The Dust A Flag Left On My Wall, Makes It Look Like The Wall Is Fabric
I Was Taking A Picture Of This Cloud That Looks Like A Feather When A Bird Flew Into The Shot
My Cat Looks Like A Deer Trophy Here
A Cloud That Looks Like An Explosion
My Peas & Lentils Look Like An Ishihara Test
This Mold On My Pumpkin Looks Exactly Like A Beard
Around 2 Pm Every Sunny Day, There's A 1 Shadow On My Floor
I'd be more impressed if it appeared on 1pm, but maybe the sun is just confused by daylight savings
Chipped Paint On This Propane Tank Lid Resembles A Globe
Perfectly Shaped Toothpaste Ball, Looks A Bit Like A Hard Candy
This Square Cloud Looks Like A Giant Rug
The Ice On This Street Lamp Makes It Look Like The Light Is Dripping Out
Cactus Fruit That Looks Like A Mini Pineapple
I Took A Picture Of My Dog And It Looks Like She’s Smoking A Cigarette
This Carrot Looks Like A Carrot Wearing A Carrot Suit
My Dog's Shadow Makes An Almost Perfect Arrow
The View From My Friend's Room Makes It Look Like His Light Is In The Middle Of The Sky
The Shadow Is A Different Number
My Cherry Tomato Turned Over And Had A Naturally Made Number On It
Cloud Formation Looks Like Waves
This Tree Looks Like It's Sprouting Black Leaves, But It's Just Full Of Crows
Three Guys That Accidentally Looked Like Alvin And The Chipmunks
Perfect Heart Shaped Strawberry
Cheesecake Factory Looks Like The Eye Of Sauron
The Shadow Of This Juice Glass Looks Like A Rose
This Stump I Came Across That Looks Like A Wooden Sarlacc
I Found A Rock Shaped Like A Heart
My Lawn Made A Natural Yin-Yang Symbol After A Pool Stood There
One Of My Onion Rings At Burger King Came Out In The Shape Of An Infinity Sign
This Tree Outside My Bedroom Shaped Like Australia
A Spider Whose Shadow Looks Like Corona Virus
Got Paint On The Window Screen While Painting, Now Looks Like An Atari 16-Bit Tank Game
The Seed Cones Of The Toxic English Yew Look Like Christmas Ornaments
The Sun Hit This Cloud Just Right To Make It Look Like The Mountain Is On Fire
This Mirror Makes It Look Like The Entire Bathroom Is In The Tub
You have been on every thread I've looked at today. Just making negative comments. Relax.
Load More Replies...Bird Dropped A Quarter-Note Turd On My Windshield
My Tortilla Kinda Looks Like Jupiter
Changing My Friend's Car Radio When I Noticed This. The Shadow Looks Like An Alien Language
The Pattern On This Hospital Floor Looks Like A Bloody Trail
This Trashcan Reflects Light In Such A Way That Makes It Look Like A Solar Eclipse
Rain And Ice Formed What Resembles A Fur Tree On The Side Of A Condo's Roof
I Spent About Two Minutes At A Red Light Trying To Figure Out What Kind Of Shoe This Is. It’s A Bag
Small Island In Sweden Looks Like A Map Of Scandinavia
Accidental Map On A Dish Soap Bottle In The Kitchen Of A Car Workshop
Milk In My Coffee Made A Tiny Guitar
My Office Window Curtains Are Sunlit In A Weird Angle, Making It Seem Like Windows XP Logos
Unintentional WiFi Sausage
I guess getting the message out there for the next MEAT and Greet will be difficult 🙃 😅
My Gummy Bear Coke Bottle Looks Like A Revolver
These Poles Look Like 2 Massive Cigarettes
This Oil Stain In The Parking Garage Could Not Be More Perfect
This Muscular-Looking Tree I Saw On My Walk Today
The Benches' Shadow Makes It Look Like This Canal Is A Two-Lane Road
This Tree Looks Like A Map, Complete With Political Borders
This Tree Looks Like It's Smoking
The Cutlet I Bought Has The Shape Of Australia
My Cousin Found This Adorable Heart Shaped Potato
A Texas Shaped Puddle In A Texas Parking Lot
The Way The Light Is Hitting My Smoke Detector Makes It Look Like It's Sliding Across The Ceiling
The Way The Ice Frozen The Saucer Makes It Look Like A Rose
The Snow In Salt Lake City Today Looks Like Dippin’ Dots
These Pretzels From A Bag Of Chex Mix Are Stuck Together And Kind Of Look Like A Satellite
My Tanlines Make Me Look Like I’m Wearing Necro-Pants
This Little Rock I Once Found That Looks Like The Danish Flag
Eczema Mark On My Hand Looks Like A Landmass So I Turned It Into A Map
These Ice Crystals On Branches Look Kind Of Like Cactus Needles
This Skyscraper In Houston Looks Like A PS5
My Moldy Baked Beans Look Like Brains
Flowers That Look Like Cabbages
They don't 'look like cabbages'. They are cabbages, ornamental cabbages grown as flowers.