There are actually twelve black dots, but as Akiyoshi Kitaoka, the psychology professor at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Japan, recently noted on Facebook, most people won’t be able to see them at once.
All twelve dots are really on the image, but most people are unable to see them all at the same time, making the dots seem like they appear and disappear with every blink. This occurs because the eye’s stimulated light receptors can sometimes influence the ones next to them, creating illusions.
In this particular image, tweeted by game developer Will Kerslake on Sunday, the brain can see some black dots but guesses when it fills in the peripheral vision. Because mostly grey lines appear in the periphery, the black dots don’t appear.
The image is a variation on the Hermann grid illusion, a diagram of black squares separated by white lines. Dark patches appear where the white lines intersect, but only in a person’s periphery.
How many dots can you see at once?
There are twelve black dots at the intersections in this image. Your brain won’t let you see them all at once. pic.twitter.com/ig6P980LOT
— 𝕎𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕂𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕝𝕒𝕜𝕖 (@wkerslake) September 11, 2016
Muriel M. Delossantos
“How many dots can you see at once?”
Four, but I really have to work at it.
i got to 6, and I think i gave myself a headache.
On the first picture I only saw 6. And there’s nothing that I can do to see 12. Now on the second picture I saw all 12, and at once. There’s a trick. If you’re on a laptop, fold your screen down until you see all 12 dots.
You did not put the whole array up there are only six on this image
Exactly. I copied the image and enlarged it 210%. Only 6 black dots. What a waste of time…
There are 12. Three rows of four each. I can only see 2 at once..
On the Twitter image I can see all 12. You didn’t specify what it means if you can see all 12.
I know, Seb. It probably means we’re all psycho.
It means you took the red pill.
Nope, all twelve are there — I can see them. I have to build up to it, “learning” where they are and “remembering” to see them. Could only see one when I started.
6 in the top, small image, 12 in the bottom, large image
please tell me they didn’t pay someone for this most remarkable, life shattering study
Two. Very cool!
I only see six dots.
I can see all twelve also. What does that mean?
I see 12 with my eyes crossed. 😀
ha ha, wtg, I didn’t think of trying that…
There. Are. FOUR. LIGHTS!!!!
COULD ONLY SEE NINE AT ONCE. GUIDED IMAGERY MIGHT HELP, IF I STUDIED FURTHER.
I can’t believe people waste their time with stuff like this. Get a job!
It’s very frustrating that your article shows a cropped version with only SIX dots. There is no logical reason to scroll down to look for the real image and many likely never did. BTW, if you stare long enough you will see all 12,000 characters in this comment.
There are 12 … 3 rows of 4 ( top, middle & bottom ) but I can only see 1 row of 4 at a time