Viral Video: Watch this optical illusion making stationary cubes appear in motion

In a mind-boggling optical illusion, that has gone viral online, two 3D cubes appear to be shifting across an image, but they are actually stationary. The viral video, which was shared on Twitter by Science Girl, a science enthusiast, shows two cubes next to each other on a blue background. The cubes' lines alternate between black and white, and a cursor in the cube's centre moves in various directions, giving the impression that the cubes are moving upwards and downwards, spinning, and expanding in size.

This optical illusion has been viewed over 3.9 million times on social media. It has gained 67.6k likes and 18.4k retweets. The illusion is caused by a phenomenon known as Reverse Phi Illusion, in which a change in light, such as the lines changing from black to white, fools the mind into thinking something is moving when it is actually not.

The video was shared on December 26, with the caption, "These cubes are not moving."

Optical illusions are perplexing, but they're also entertaining. Indeed, the Internet is brimming with videos and photographs of optical illusions that leave people both bewildered and entertained. And this one, which involves two cubes, is an excellent addition to that group.

Nteizens' reaction

Every now and then, such clips resurface on the internet, leaving people speechless. This video has also elicited a large number of reactions from internet users. Take a look:

A Twitterati posted another picture of optical illusion in the comment box. He wrote, "The balls are all the same color."

Another user shared his opinion, "If you take your video frame by frame, they aren’t actually moving. You still see each box against the red lines you put in there. Putting it against a black background isn’t how to prove this because the white never fades. Of course it’s going to look like it moves/shakes." "It's black being processed by your brain in the spot where you think it should be the edge of the square and not the color black When it gets replaced by white your brain moves the object itself not the color black," commented third.

What is Reverse Phi Illusion

The phenomenon known as Reverse Phi Illusion affects both people and animals, as well as insects such as flies. One can perceive motion as a bright spot appearing on the left and then another appearing on the right. This is known as the Phi illusion. When a dark point appears to turn the light, it is viewed as 'moving away' from an item, which is known as the reverse Phi illusion. Motion is seen when two spots alternate between light and dark. In 2011, Stanford University researchers discovered that the phenomenon is crucial to how humans perceive movement.

Image: Twitter/Sciencegirl