So, yesterday. According to my mate, most people should have selected blue. The slight problem is that they didn’t. Perhaps the Glasgow Science Center logo confused matters, perhaps it doesn’t work on the web or maybe it doesn’t work at all. Who knows. Anyway, thanks for joining in.
Yesterday I came across this great photo, taken around 1910. I had never seen it before, but it is a lovely example of how our perceptual system automatically groups objects. The question is…..are the two guys on the right of the image really good friends or is their friendship all in your mind?
Any thoughts? Which way did you first see the photo?
Yeah, they looked like really good friends at first glance.
Yes, they did. I could soon work out where the middle guy’s arm bent back in, but it took me quite a few moments looking (and had to see it full-size) to figure out where the right guy’s arm exactly went.
They def look like they’re holding hands at first look.
That is mega scary.
1) I first saw the guy on our right touching the joined hands of the middle chap.
2) Then I re-read your intro; and then saw the middle guy’s left hand touching up the other fellows right thigh.
3) Then – about 2 mins later – saw what was really there.
I suspect the guy on the left is playing a trombone and simultaneously juggling ferrets; but I haven’t seen it yet.
Last line: Best. Answer. Ever.
And yes, at first I saw the rightmost gent reaching out to hold the hand of the middle bloke, who had his hand on the other’s thigh. Then I looked again after reading the full text.
I first saw them as not touching, then after reading the description saw the other option.
What is the real thing? I still don’t see it!
Aaarrrggghh! I still don’t see it. At full size. *frustrated*
They aren’t holding hands, because they are wearing the same coloured shirt and their elbows are in the same place in the photo it’s easy to confuse the two arms.
I don’t know, it looks like there is a ghost in the picture…
First impression: the man on the right holding the foot of the man on the left.
I was just amazed by Sherlock Holmes on the left…….
I saw them cross-holding hands and thigh.
It took me some considerable mental effort to see it in a more Victorian frame.
Blue was my second choice
I saw them the way they actually are, then once I read what you wrote that’s when I saw the “optical illusion”
That’s pretty much what I saw. I think the thing that makes the illusion work is the odd angle of Mr Right’s hand.
I saw them as good friends, and still have trouble seeing it the other way. I wonder what reaction they got when the photo was first developed??
Mr Glum in the middle doesn’t look happy or friendly, that was my first thought. The I spotted the illusion.
Honestly it strikes me as that they *are* good friends who were screwing around, but then the guy on the right, whose expression betrays himself as a joker, decided to then put his hand on his friend’s arm. Whether these two exposures were put together, I do not know.
But I think one thing that is important to remember is that for all that people in photographs and paintings look terribly serious, that they were all still the same as we are now. Young men then were probably quite similar to young men now – namely, kind of jackasses. The only difference is that they had no experience of having their pictures taken, and so they thought they should look serious.
I have almost no doubt that once the various pictures showing serious miners or serious men who were about to travel up the Yukon or serious men who were on a ship or… or whatever… moments after the picture had been taken they were whacking each other on the arms and goofing off just like today’s young men.
They looked serious in pictures because much longer exposure times were needed. They had to hold perfectly still while the picture was exposed, so they usually remained expressionless rather than smiling.
At first it did look like they were holding hands yes.
I saw them holding hands, and have to really concentrate to see it any other way.
Yes, well my first though was that they were holding hands; my second thought was that the chap on the right had a curiously long arm.
I’m having trouble seeing them NOT holding hands. When you said it was an illusion, I thought maybe they were handcuffed together or something, I still didn’t get that they were keeping their arms to themselves!
I first saw them holding hands, then the guy in the middle with his hand on the other chaps leg. After a few seconds noticed that there is a lot of blurring aroud their elbows and if he was touching his leg he must have a rather strange shaped arm! Even though I’ve seen that it still looks like they are holding hands, even though I know they aint!
It isn’t even close to ambiguous for me. It would be very unusual for someone to have an arm that long. Perhaps people are distracted by the location of the cuff?
I still have trouble seeing it the “right” way – it does indeed look like they’re really good friends.
I still don’t think I’m seeing what’s really there, but I never really glanced and saw them as friends. It’s just three guys sitting there…
I saw them holding hands at first, and then I looked closely and saw the bend in the middle guy’s arm.
Took me ages to work out the reality. I could see that the middle guy’s left arm was wrongly crooked, but for a long time I couldn’t see anything wrong with the shaking hands bit.
I saw them not touching until I read the information.
Perhaps a personality difference here?
I saw the hand in it’s “actual” position (on his knee) first– I didn’t see them as holding hands until I actively looked for it. His arm would be too long if he was reaching across.
I also saw them not holding hands until I read the description.
I saw the guy in the middle first, and he looks depressed. So it wasn’t till I read the comments that I realized some people view them as holding hands.
the middle man is depressed because the man on his right stepped on his foot
Hah, I saw them touching at first. After reading your intro several times more I managed to see the image the other way but it’s still much easier for me to see them touching.
I couldn’t see them any way but holding hands until I read the other comments.
I think the picture is altered to blur the two arms together. Also that foreground blur is clearly a ghost or an angel. Not sure if it has a positive or negative intent
This isn’t even really an illusion, unless you think the guy on the right’s arm is 4 feet long or something. But then, I’ve been reading Photoshop Disasters too much.
A warm handshake and a double-elbowed left arm.
If I look at the arms, I see them the right way, but as soon as I look into their faces, I see the handshake again.
I first saw it as the guy on the right reaching out to the knee of the middle guy. Maybe because the width of the separate arms matches close enough to trick my eye into perceiving them as a single arm.
Then the something’s off reaction kicks in. The body language of the center guy seems too closed and stiff. The sleeves are visible on alternate arms. Then I see the arms as they (probably) really are.
First glance:
I saw the guy on the left reaching over to join (shake?) hands with the center fellow.
Then I saw the illusion and realized the center fellow had his elbows on his knees and is own hands clasped.
Then I saw the guy on the right had his own hand on his leg.
I didn’t really see the hand on the leg on the right until the end.
Of course this all happened in about half a second.
Hmmm…
Good friends at first glance by shaking hands then had to look harder to find what you were talking about. Took about three seconds.
Lol, this is scary. At first they didn’t look like good fiends. Then after 2 seconds I started to see them hold hands, and after reading through a couple of comments I noticed that the middle guy is actually resting his hand on his “friend’s” thigh. I was literally blown away.
Not good friends, just gay ..
Weird .. there’s a ghost in that spot as well .. you see the light sphere there?
Blue? Why blue .. and .. mate? Isn’t that from down under country?
When I loaded the page, the first thing I saw was the picture, and it looked like three normal-looking gentlemen.
However after reading the text and looking at the picture, I immediately saw the alternative friendly interpretation.
I think in my case, the text suggested something and my brain found it immediately.
They were holding hands
At first look, these gents were all just sitting on the stoop; it definitely appeared to me that the gentlemen in the middle was hugging his knee caps with his arms. Then I read the prose that accompanied the picture and immediately my perception changed and it looked like these guys were a little more friendly than upon first glance.
The mind will definitely see what we want it to see. I wonder how often that plays out in our lives? That we see what we want to see and not necessarily what is there?
I thought they were holding hands until I really focussed some effort into seeing it another way. Great photo!
[...] Odd, rare and new illusion So, yesterday. According to my mate, most people should have selected blue. The slight problem is that they [...] [...]
i never saw the scary-face placing his hand on the soldier’s thigh, probably because he looks unfriendly. i thought his arms were just covered.
But it took me some to figure out how soldier’s hand was arranged.
The man on the left looks like he’s missing the left ahnd side of his face…
“hand” sorry
I saw two guys holding hands and didn’t unsee it until I read the comments.
I thought they were shaking hands, until I finished reading. I then looked more intently, and saw that they were not.
They may not be friends. The man in the middle not smiling.
Also, in my opinion The man on the right has different cloths on him. Seem a traveller visiting and talking to some local people in a town.
aAt first, I saw 3rd man joining hands with the middle guy while the middle guy has his hand on the lap of the third guy.Seconds later i saw the real thing!!!
Cheers.
I saw them holding hands at first. I had to look very closely to notice that it wasn’t necessarily true.
Well, they’re soldiers, right? The guy in the middle is just tired of it.
Or summit.
Okay, new. MiddleMan: “Fuck the happyman”
HappyMan: ” I’m so happy!”
at first i thought they were friends but the man in the middle isn’t smiling and…i don’t know if it’s me but…the left hand of the man in the middle…it’s weird how it’s bent…
look like real good friends to me
only realised when i read the 2nd comment.
first impression: the guy on the middle is touching the other guy penis’. totally gay.