Clockwise or Counter-clockwise? – A Crazy Illusion!
Posted by Jon Lee in Offtopic, tags: illusion, picture, quiz
Is the dancer in the picture spinning clockwise or counter clockwise? As it turns out, those that see the dancer spin counter clockwise are typically “left-brained” while those that see the dancer spin clockwise are typically “right-brained”.
If you try to focus really hard, you can see the dancer spin the other way. When I saw the direction change I was so sure the image itself was changing. I continued to stare at this picture for about another 10 minutes until I could “change” the dancer’s spin at will — believe me, the image does not “switch” at all.
I suspect that almost everyone reading this blog (being a techy programming blog) will see the dancer initially spin counter clockwise and probably did fairly well on the IQ test as well. Here’s a comparison of left and right-brained functions.
| Left brain functions | Right brain functions |
| sequential | simultaneous |
| analytical | holistic |
| verbal | imagistic |
| logical | intuitive |
| mathematics: perception of counting and measurement | mathematics: perception of shapes and motions |
| present and past | present and future |
| language: grammar, words, pattern perception, literal | language: intonation, emphasis, prosody, pragmatic, contextual |
Did the test work for you? Can you change the dancer’s spin at will?
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I saw that the other day and it was going counter-clockwise. Now it is going clockwise. I guess I’m neutral.
If you look carefully at the dancer, the image is changing. After some rounds the dancer changes it’s direction and that happens in a split second so the person looking at the dancer feels that it’s his mind illusion and the dancer is spinning in one direction only.
jon i think you should stare, and then blink and then look away it should change directions for you! when you look back start from the head down! start looking at her head and work your way down! i can change it at will!
I looked at that thing for quite a while. I can see t both ways.
I am only watching it for 1 minute, and already changed 3 times.. damn, this is weird
FREAKY!! im left brain and i saw it spinning counter clockwise, i immediately asked my friend what he saw and he’s right brain. i started spinning my finger clockwise to force it to switch and it did! WHAT THE…!?! LOL
I opened up the GIF and looked at it frame by frame. It is only spinning in one direction.
There goes another 5 minutes of my life I’ll never get back!
First, I saw the dancer spinning clockwise, but eventually got her spinning count-clockwise.
I can now flip between the two, but it’s easier for me to see her spinning clockwise.
Very interesting!
That’s what I thought too Gray Hair. But I realized it was just my computer being choppy, the image is indeed only spinning “one way”
I tried the spinning finger thing… couldn’t get it to work!
I can change it after staring enough and forcing myself to believe it’s spinning the other way… haha
Yes I could. I found this amazing. This is really unbelievable. How does this work?
I shrunk the window and concentrated on the legs and how they were moving. At a certain point, you can (as psychotic as this may sound), “feel” your eyes and brain shift gears. It’s like looking at those 3-D stereogram pictures, when things finally come into focus. I concentrated on the leg waging back and forth behind the girl to shift direction.
Also, nice nipples on the dancer!
She’s doing the hokey-cokey for me. What does that mean?
Very nice effects i tried with my wife and i only see clockwise and my wife sees the two way. Nice illusion.
Greetings from Portugal
Nice i only see clockwise.
Greetings from Portugal
I’m too busy staring at her nipples
I saw this thing spinning both ways, for a while i thought it was a GIF changing directions, then i got my little sister to come and tell me which way it was spinning, oddly enough, at the time i was looking, it was spinning Anti-clockwise, at the same time when she looked, she was definitely sure it was spinning clockwise
…I’m trying as hard as I can but I can’t get it to spin counter-clockwise. I always see it clockwise.
This is weird because I just looked at this yesterday and it was going clockwise but as I was reading your article it was very obviously going counter clockwise. Then I looked away, started reading again, and it went back to clockwise. So I’m stumped!
Just a few minutes ago i saw it rotating counter clockwise, but now i see it rotating clockwise, and it doesn’t changes at all … i don’t no if i am left-brained or right-brained
no mattter how hard i focus it’s still clockwise. Indeed i am very weak at calculation =.=
I’ve always considered myself to be left-brained but I only see it spinning clockwise. I’ve yet to see it switch directions or go counter-clockwise.
do the finger spinny thing! spin your finger the opposite direction under the image and it’ll switch!! try it, it’s a TRIP!
this is freaky shit….k i cant change it at WILL….. but it sure does change time to time. wht does tht make me? left or right brained?
I must be either very smart or not at all smart. Yes she spun in one direction then the other, both clockwise and counter clockwise, should it be exciting? Or weird? Or what do tell!!
That means you are one lucky dude!
You’re probably the best kind — both brained
I just tried it but I can’t seem to get it to work…. how are you spinning your finger? Pointing into the screen or pointing up?
No, my mom and i were looking at it at the same time, i saw it clockwise, she saw it counter clockwise.
The first few days I looked at it I could only see it going clockwise no matter how hard I tried. But now I can switch directions at will.
The first few days I saw it, she spun clockwise no matter how hard I tried. Now I can change directions at will.
At diferent intervals my view switches back and forth ( 10 to 20 sec. varies ) I was skeptical. Try looking away for a second focus the mind on something different.
This isn’t a test for right brain or left brain. It’s just a matter of perspective.
The leg she is twirling on switches if you watch it. If she is facing forward, and twirling on the right leg, in a few minutes she’ll twirl on the left leg.
i see it counter clockwise… but then as i stare… it changes direction.
very good flash animation.
First, I saw it turning clockwise and then counter clockwise. As I switched my view for a while, it turn back to clockwise. What a weird. My brain do trick on me!!
Thats amazing
I saw her spin both ways
its got something to do with the shadows hasn’t it?
man .. thats a .gif image …
for first few minutes its moving anti clock wise and after that it switches to clock wise ..
I don’t see anything unusual about it ….
you folks are just messing around with your own head……….hahahaha
At first for a couple of seconds, the image spun in anti clockwise direction but then it went back to clockwise. Now it doesn’t spin in the anti clockwise direction.
Is it the image or its just me? :S
By focusing on the foot on the ground one can see it
turn both left and right (with the heel towards the front).
One can keep the girl from turning completely by just focusing on this foot and watch it turn first left, then right. Also, in this manner one can make her turn either right or left.
At least, this worked for me.
I’m a retired CPA, definitely a left-brain person. So obviously I saw the lady spinning counter-clockwise and thought all you guys that saw her spinning both ways were nuts. But then, after starring for a time, I looked away, then back. Sure enough, she changed directions. I now have seen her change back and forth several times. It’s not in my sphere of knowledge to understand how the brain tricks us like this.
Hi, both my wife and I were starring at it for a while, and could often see her spin in opposite direction at the same time and if not knowing that it’s perception would have argued forever. Quite funny really… It get to show that sometime things are only a matter of perception and no one can really win an argument!
I saw that one a few days ago. It’s fun trying to make it change directions.
Its spinning counter-clock wise for me. But the only thing I noticed is that the model is cold.