Optical Illusion: Are these lines straight or do they bend? | Trending

A myriad of optical illusions keeps us glued to our screens as we keep questioning reality. And this fascination surrounding optical illusions is evident in the viral appeal of social media posts featuring them. Case in point, this intriguing optical illusion shared on Twitter. It shows a cafe wall having horizontal and vertical lines. But do these horizontal lines bend at a specific angle, or are they straight? This cafe wall optical illusion has left people scratching their heads. (Twitter/@Rainmaker1973) “First, those horizontal lines are actually straight. Then, the ‘café wall’ illusion is one of the oldest known. Learn why the lines are parallel and why you see them slanted,” wrote Massimo while sharing the optical illusion on Twitter. The image shows several horizontal and vertical lines. Although the vertical ones appear straight, the horizontal lines give the illusion of bending at an angle. However, that is not true. In reality, these lines are parallel and devoid of any actual curvature. An explanation of the optical illusion reads, “Cafe wall optical illusion. Do the horizontal bars look like they bend and are at an angle? Look again, because they don’t bend. They are straight and in parallel rows. The alternating target patterns, rows and colours all combine to trick your brain.” Take a look at the optical illusion here: Do you see straight lines or are they parallel? Since being shared on June 5 on Twitter, the optical illusion has accumulated over 2.7 lakh views, and the numbers are still increasing. The share has also prompted people to leave their thoughts in the comments section.Here’s what people said about the optical illusion:“I had to hold my phone virtually flat before I could see straight lines!” posted a Twitter user. Another added, “Fun fact: If you blink your eyes rapidly you can see that they are straight.” “They are straight when I squeeze my eyes!” shared a third. A fourth commented, “Yes, scrolling fixes it.” ABOUT THE AUTHOR Arfa Javaid is a journal working with the Hindustan Times’ Delhi team. She covers trending topics, human interest stories, and viral content online. …view detail