This Illusion, New to Science, is Strong Enough to Trick Our Reflexes

hubie writes:

Soylent readers, you'll need to click through to TFA to see the illusion referenced below.

An illusion new to science shows that the pupillary light reflex, which controls the width of the pupil in anticipation of expected changes in light, depends on the perceived environment rather than the physical reality:

Have a look at the above image. Do you perceive that the central black hole is expanding, as if you're moving into a dark environment, or falling into a hole? If so, you're not alone: a new study shows that this 'expanding hole' illusion, which is new to science, is perceived by approximately 86% of people.

[...] Optical illusions aren't mere gimmicks without scientific interest: researchers in the field of psychosociology study them to better understand the complex processes our visual system uses to anticipate and make sense of the visual world - in a far more roundabout way than a photometer device, which simply registers the amount of photonic energy.

[...] "Here we show based on the new 'expanding hole' illusion that that the pupil reacts to how we perceive light - even if this 'light' is imaginary like in the illusion - and not just to the amount of light energy that actually enters the eye. The illusion of the expanding hole prompts a corresponding dilation of the pupil, as it would happen if darkness really increased," said Laeng.

[...] "Our results show that pupils' dilation or contraction reflex is not a closed-loop mechanism, like a photocell opening a door, impervious to any other information than the actual amount of light stimulating the photoreceptor. Rather, the eye adjusts to perceived and even imagined light, not simply to physical energy. Future studies could reveal other types of physiological or bodily changes that can 'throw light' onto how illusions work," concluded Laeng.

Journal Reference:
Bruno Laeng, Shoaib Nabil and Akiyoshi Kitaoka, The Eye Pupil Adjusts to Illusorily Expanding Holes [open], Front. Hum. Neurosci., 30 May 2022 | DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.877249

Original Submission

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