# Right-Brained/Left-Brained Optical Illusion



## Spooky (Oct 30, 2008)

I'm sure most people have seen this before. I saw it a long time ago and could see her spinning in both directions. Now, I can only see her spinning in one. I wonder if it's because I have been in a creative state of mind lately.

Left brain or right brain?









If you see her spinning counter-clockwise then you are left-brained (logical). If you see her spinning clockwise then you are right-brained (creative). Do you think these results are accurate to your preference?


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## εmptε (Nov 20, 2008)

I fucked up your test. It spins both ways XD


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## susurration (Oct 22, 2009)

Clockwise, then after a while anti clockwise for me.

But sometimes it works vice versa. I'm ambidextrous if that counts for anything.


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## Linesky (Dec 10, 2008)

William Wolf said:


> I fucked up your test. It spins both ways XD


It's a normal possibility. xD It means you can detect it to some extent, I guess.


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## Spooky (Oct 30, 2008)

William Wolf said:


> I fucked up your test. It spins both ways XD


Like I said, the first time I saw this, it was going both directions.


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## NotSoRighteousRob (Jan 1, 2010)

that is insane, I must have stared at it for 10 minutes, I think i've found a way I can make it change direction, when I look at the shadow at the bottom it switches, and then if I look away and back it switches again.. weird

yea now i'm able to freely control which direction I see it spinning. pretty neat


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## εmptε (Nov 20, 2008)

Spooky said:


> Like I said, the first time I saw this, it was going both ways.


Actually, this wasn't the first time I saw it .I just felt like saying it. I can change it just by thinking of numbers or something artsy.


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## Starfruitme (Jan 3, 2010)

It does both for me as well. But I am an INTP, and I know logic, plus I am creative and have been my whole life. In general I think this test is more for fun, and not really that accurate. :dry:


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## Lilsnowy (Sep 9, 2009)

I'm quite even on left and right brain, when I take tests for that, but saw only clockwise until I looked at the shadow underneath. Interesting.


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## Spooky (Oct 30, 2008)

RighteousRob said:


> that is insane, I must have stared at it for 10 minutes, I think i've found a way I can make it change direction, when I look at the shadow at the bottom it switches, and then if I look away and back it switches again.. weird





Lilsnowy said:


> I'm quite even on left and right brain, when I take tests for that, but saw only clockwise until I looked at the shadow underneath. Interesting.


I just looked at the shadow. That is the first time all night that I've been able to see her spin counter-clockwise.


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## roxtehproxy (Sep 9, 2009)

First glance it appeared to rotate anti-clockwise, then after a few seconds preceded it became clockwise.

It's still rotating clockwise, I'm quite astonished. :mellow:


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## Dooraven (Dec 9, 2009)

Rotates both ways for me at various instances.

But it really really easy to make it go the the way.

Cover up everything except her feet. You will see it alternates because its only two pictures and your brain thinks its rotating one way but in fact it alternates. Now release your hand at one position (where the leg is), it will be going one way, release your hand at the other position and it will be going the other way.That is until your brain reconfigures the image


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## Spooky (Oct 30, 2008)

Now I can't get her to spin clockwise again. Maybe it's because of this religious/scientific debate about the origin of life and matter. I'm using the left side of my brain.


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## roxtehproxy (Sep 9, 2009)

Dooraven said:


> Rotates both ways for me at various instances.
> 
> But it really really easy to make it go the the way.
> 
> Cover up everything except her feet. You will see it alternates because its only two pictures and your brain thinks its rotating one way but in fact it alternates. Now release your hand at one position (where the leg is), it will be going one way, release your hand at the other position and it will be going the other way.That is until your brain reconfigures the image


According to numerous people that claim authority, they have theorized a possibility that the image is split into two gifs. These images both rotate the figure clockwise and the other anti-clockwise, and the silhouette is what fools our depth perception into thinking she rotates one way only. In summation, it either looks like her foot is swinging towards or away from us.

I'm still having trouble seeing her rotate anti-clockwise, though.


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## Hocking (Jan 2, 2010)

I always see left first off, but I can change it by looking at the shadow.

Reading above I see that is the case for other people also.


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## fiasco (Dec 25, 2009)

Spooky said:


> Now, I can't get her to spin clockwise again. Maybe it's because of this religious/scientific debate about the origin of life and matter.


Like you said, each time I look down at her feet, she changes directions.
When she changes to counter-clockwise, I only have to look back down at her feet to change it back. Vice versa.

I did this a year ago and didn't think it was a reliable test. I'm right-brained, for what it's worth.


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## fiasco (Dec 25, 2009)

Starfruitme said:


> It does both for me as well. But I am an INTP, and I know logic, plus I am creative and have been my whole life. In general I think this test is more for fun, and not really that accurate. :dry:


Like with the MBTI, it's just a matter of preference and natural inclination. Right-brained people aren't unable to learn formal logic or think in a linear/sequential method, just as left-brained people aren't unable to be creative or learn intuitively.


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## Spooky (Oct 30, 2008)

If you see her spinning clockwise, she is standing on her left leg. If you see her spinning counter clockwise, she is standing on her right leg.


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## Munchies (Jun 22, 2009)

when i was a kid i could look at the blinds infront of my window in my bedroom and eventually make the light in the middle of the blinds appear to be swaying left to right . It took a lot of brain power not sure how i did it. So yeh this test reminded me of this. And the test is pretty much flawed all you have to do is look at the feet and you can control where the body sways.


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## seraphiel (Dec 26, 2009)

I've seen this before and I still say it only goes one way. The opposite way is the only illusion present. :angry:

Edit:
To make myself more clear. Those who have worked in 3D models may understand.
The original design is derived from a 3D figure which could only be perceived as going one way at the time of its creation. Secondary illusions were applied to it to make it ambiguous. 

So based on intent, it functions as a two way illusion, but in a technical regard it is a one way illusion which obscures the original construction (but it is still hinted at for those who can understand the method of construction)


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## Just_Some_Guy (Oct 8, 2009)

_Two monks were arguing about a flag. One said, "The flag is moving."


The other said, "The wind is moving."


The Sixth Patriarch happened to be passing by. He told them, "Not the wind, not the flag; mind is moving."




__ I once stared at this image for a long time, flipping her direction back and forth until I got her legs and head to spin one direction and her arms to spin the other. The trick is that the image isn't rotating. It's in two dimensions. The mind then adds a third and thus a direction of spin to make sense of it.

_


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## In a Quandary (Dec 26, 2009)

I can make her change directions at will - even going as far to make her appear as though she is swinging her leg back and forth rather than a particular direction.

Yes, there is a trick to it. The pivotal point would be when the tip of her outstretched foot reaches the leftmost point of its arc if she is rotating clockwise (rightmost if anti-clockwise). Here, the mind can perform the switch most easily because the contours of her silhouette are the least definitive as to her apparent directional orientation.


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## Highschool Pariah (Dec 11, 2009)

I saw it spin clockwise, but that wasn't good enough. I wanted to see it from the other viewpoint so I kept on watching it till it would change. It only did because I realized what a logical person would do: watch center mass. Sure enough...


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## cosmic zebra (Dec 30, 2009)

I'm right-brained, apparently.

I suppose I'm not always the most logical of people and I think right-brained thinking is more dominant in females? So... yeah, makes sense. That said, the term 'creative' makes me cringe a bit when referred to myself... creative in an illogical sense? sure... in a I-can-create-amazing-ideas-and-stuffzz? Seems a bit cocky, especially as I doubt I could back it up with anything of merit (or whatever).


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## Lucem (Dec 2, 2009)

I can make it spin both ways.

All I do is close my eyes, imagine it spinning a certain way, open my eyes and it's doing it!

:laughing:


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## seraphiel (Dec 26, 2009)

cosmic zebra said:


> I'm right-brained, apparently.
> 
> I suppose I'm not always the most logical of people and I think right-brained thinking is more dominant in females? So... yeah, makes sense. That said, the term 'creative' makes me cringe a bit when referred to myself... creative in an illogical sense? sure... in a I-can-create-amazing-ideas-and-stuffzz? Seems a bit cocky, especially as I doubt I could back it up with anything of merit (or whatever).


It's a biased test. You could be left brained and still see it the opposite way because of how it is made. This is why it irks me, just because you see it spin one way does not make you left or right brained. 

It does not have a thorough basis due to the way it is constructed, you will be biased by the visual cues depending on your knowledge and spatial ability, not left or right brained-ness... :mellow:


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## mise en abyme (Nov 17, 2009)

if this test measures how much more developed one hemisphere of your brain is, then it didn't work for me; i stared at it for the longest time and i always saw it spinning clockwise, yet my verbal IQ is much higher than my performance IQ... only i have more right-brained traits. do you think that INFPs are just naturally this way, given that they are intuitives, feelers, and perceivers?


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## Just_Some_Guy (Oct 8, 2009)

Would someone care to attempt to explain how left or right-brained people concoct directions of spin in 2D optical illusions? I’m not quite sure if or how this correlation can be made. I’m kinda getting the impression that the “test” nature of this GIF is pretty much garbage. 

Oh, and I’ll repost this because its contextual applicability is off the charts.

_The wind was flapping a temple flag, and two monks were arguing about the flag. One said, “The flag is moving.” The other said, “the wind is moving.” They could not agree, no matter how hard they debated. The sixth patriarch, Eno, happened to come by and said, “Not the wind, not the flag. It is the mind that is moving!” The two monks were struck with awe._


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## kuze420 (Jan 7, 2010)

well it seems it spins both ways for me. I am left handed but I only use it for dexterity (writing, drawing, shaving, sewing, stacking cards!!!) my right hand is for power (lifting, punching, scratching???) lol either. BOTH for me.


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## Spooky (Oct 30, 2008)

I don't think this "test" is legitimate. The other day I mostly saw her going clockwise; now I mostly see her spinning counter-clockwise.

I call bullshit!


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## seraphiel (Dec 26, 2009)

EmotionallyTonedGeometry said:


> Would someone care to attempt to explain how left or right-brained people concoct directions of spin in 2D optical illusions? I’m not quite sure if or how this correlation can be made. I’m kinda getting the impression that the “test” nature of this GIF is pretty much garbage.
> 
> Oh, and I’ll repost this because its contextual applicability is off the charts.


Well, it's a 3D rendered female figure. You can tell if you look closely, there's a definite silhouette of polygons there (pretty much the signature of a 3D render with attributes of 'depth')

Also the fact that it is a known figure (a female body) will tell your mind to give it depth and 'fill in the blanks'

It would have been a less biased test if it were a more ambiguous object and not designed in a way that initially indicated depth and was subsequently obscured with blackness...


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## Just_Some_Guy (Oct 8, 2009)

seraphiel said:


> Well, it's a 3D rendered female figure. You can tell if you look closely, there's a definite silhouette of polygons there (pretty much the signature of a 3D render with attributes of 'depth')
> 
> Also the fact that it is a known figure (a female body) will tell your mind to give it depth and 'fill in the blanks'
> 
> It would have been a less biased test if it were a more ambiguous object and not designed in a way that initially indicated depth and was subsequently obscured with blackness...


What correlates the direction of spin to the cerebral hemisphere of preference?


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## screamofconscious (Oct 15, 2009)

Spooky said:


> I don't think this "test" is legitimate. The other day I mostly saw her going clockwise; now I mostly see her spinning counter-clockwise.
> 
> I call bullshit!



I looked it up online when I first saw the thread, you're right. 
NeuroLogica Blog Left Brain – Right brain and the Spinning Girl

Heh, it pissed me off because I can only see her going clockwise. Even after I tried the little tricks that have been suggested, she's going the same direction. It still pisses me off. :angry::laughing:


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## stayalive34 (Jan 7, 2010)

It went both for me


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## Highschool Pariah (Dec 11, 2009)

screamofconscious said:


> I looked it up online when I first saw the thread, you're right.
> NeuroLogica Blog Left Brain – Right brain and the Spinning Girl
> 
> Heh, it pissed me off because I can only see her going clockwise. Even after I tried the little tricks that have been suggested, she's going the same direction. It still pisses me off. :angry::laughing:


Let me guess, you are focusing on her outward foot? If only we had those machines that track eye movement. Try focusing on the middle third of the image(center mass).

00000000
00000000
00000000
00000000

Look in the red.


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## Spooky (Oct 30, 2008)

Everytime I see the naked, spinning woman I get mildly aroused. What does that say about my brain?


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## screamofconscious (Oct 15, 2009)

Highschool Pariah said:


> Let me guess, you are focusing on her outward foot? If only we had those machines that track eye movement. Try focusing on the middle third of the image(center mass).
> 
> 00000000
> 00000000
> ...


 I focused on her shadow too and just for good measure tried other random parts. Tried your advice...nothing works.


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## screamofconscious (Oct 15, 2009)

Spooky said:


> Everytime I see the naked, spinning woman I get mildly aroused. What does that say about my brain?


Which one? :crazy::tongue:


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## seraphiel (Dec 26, 2009)

EmotionallyTonedGeometry said:


> What correlates the direction of spin to the cerebral hemisphere of preference?


I don't think there is a correlation. That's why I'm irked with the test.
There's only correlations to why you see it clockwise or counter. I don't believe they correlate to hemispheres directly.

What we should do here is find another test (or tests) and make comparisons with the results. I'm betting there will be skew.


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## Spooky (Oct 30, 2008)

screamofconscious said:


> Which one? :crazy::tongue:


They're both running on the same *hard*ware.


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## SLeigh (Sep 13, 2011)

She spins clockwise for me.


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## Mostly Harmless (Oct 16, 2011)

She initially spins clockwise for me but it's easy to get her to switch back and forth.


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## ImminentThunder (May 15, 2011)

It keeps changing directions. It was counterclockwise at first, then I looked away and when I looked back it spun clockwise for a while. I watched for a while and then she changed directions right in front of me, from clockwise back to counterclockwise. 

How is this correlated with hemisphere dominance?


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## Mokona (Feb 8, 2010)

I can see her spin both ways, though the first impression was clock-wise.

Now I can switch between both directions. I love how there's a visible leap, like something clicks in my mind, when the direction changes


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## OhReally (Nov 28, 2010)

WHAT KIND OF SORCERY IS THIS!!!!! But seriously this is weird I saw her spinning clockwise and couldnt get her to go the other way. Then I watched her shadow now shes moving counterclockwise.


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## Coburn (Sep 3, 2010)

εmptε;220560 said:


> I can change it just by thinking of numbers or something artsy.


Holy crap, that actually works for me.


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## viz0 (Jun 29, 2011)

Interesting. Well she was standing on her left leg for few mins for me and only making myself believe, that she is standing on the right leg and looking at the shadow helped to make her change directions.

I analyzed the frames and it does look like she should be spinning on her left leg, but she is facing us while her feet are backwards in middle state frames. Funny.

After some staring i can make her spin on right left and then left leg every second spin.


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## RonnyESTP (Oct 12, 2011)

If you watch her right foot, you will notice she turns clockwise...


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## darude11 (Jul 6, 2011)

RonnyESTP said:


> If you watch her right foot, you will notice she turns clockwise...


 It is not true. She turns in reality in both directions. Since it is not 3D animation and properly lighted, you can't really say, if she turns clockwise or counterclockwise.
However, it seems (by my observations), that P's tend to say, she turns clockwise, while J's say she turns counter-clockwise. It is not the law or something, it is just high probability.


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## PAdude (Mar 18, 2011)

She keeps switching directions for me... I usually score about 50/50 on right brained-left brained tests. I wonder if I'm in the middle and that's why.


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