Bizarre Optical Illusion Makes You Think Traffic Light Colour Is Something It's Not

Ask anyone what colours are used in a traffic light and they'll probably respond with a combination of red, amber or yellow, and green.

However, a bizarre optical illusion appears to prove the colours aren't all as they seem.

The illusion has been shared online by TikToker Dean Jackson, who shares 'sketchy stuff of fascination, fun and puzzlement' with his 506,000 followers on the platform.

Jackson appears to have a habit of blowing people's minds with his various revelations and illusions, and the reaction was no different when he shared his traffic light video, which claimed to be able to 'convince you that your eyes lie to you'.

Check it out below:

Jackson started out by presenting the image of traffic lights as we know them, with red, amber and green all present to indicate whether drivers should carry on their way or slow to a stop.

He then applied a cyan, aka blue, filter over the lights and explained that red light 'can't pass through a cyan filter', yet the upper light on the traffic light still appears red.

The TikToker explained this colour is actually just an optical illusion, saying: 'I can guarantee you there is no red light there at all... It's your brain working overtime, convincing you of the red.'

To help back up his claims, Jackson blocked out the rest of the traffic lights with a grey overlay. When the grey appears next to the 'red' light, it becomes clear that it's not red at all.

'Now look, it was grey all along, there is no red', Jackson said.

Traffic light (Pixabay)

It seems the cyan filter played a big part in creating this illusion, and with the lack of a filter in real life the red would, hopefully, continue to shine through and encourage drivers to stop. Still, the optical illusion has left other TikTok users completely baffled, with one person responding to Jackson's video to say, 'thanks for breaking my [brain]'.

Another commented: 'I watched it 3 times and after that my brain learned to make it grey, it's the power of the mind.'

Jackson encouraged anyone who enjoyed the optical illusion to 'like, share or comment', promising he would 'make some more soon' if he received a good response. At the time of writing, March 3, the video has racked up more than 1.8 million likes, no doubt paving the way for the numerous other videos Jackson has made since.

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Topics: TikTok, Viral, Life

Emily Brown

Emily Brown is UNILAD Editorial Lead at LADbible Group. She first began delivering news when she was just 11 years old - with a paper route - before graduating with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University. Emily joined UNILAD in 2018 to cover breaking news, trending stories and longer form features. She went on to become Community Desk Lead, commissioning and writing human interest stories from across the globe, before moving to the role of Editorial Lead. Emily now works alongside the UNILAD Editor to ensure the page delivers accurate, interesting and high quality content.