As long ago as the 12th century when a carving of an elephant and bull hybrid tricked those passing the Airavatesvara Temple in India, we’ve delighted in putting our mental sharpness to the test with optical illusions.
Modern day illusions reach wider audiences than ever before – who could forget the viral dress phenomenon, viewed interchangeably as white and gold or blue and black?
Whether carved into historic architecture or doing the rounds on TikTok, these mind-bending tricks use colour, light and patterns to skew our normal perception and push our senses to their limits.
They have also gained a reputation for showing varying degrees of intelligence or indicating stronger and weaker personality traits.
Whether you believe that or not might itself say something about your personality – but regardless, trying to solve a perplexing visual problem makes for a fun way to pass the time.
This illusion shows a pair of hands holding a set of playing cards – with brainiacs challenged to find the joker symbol in under nine seconds.
In classic brain-teaser style, the image is packed with bright colours, strong outlines and a dizzying array of symbols and letters. Are you up to the task of cracking it?
Here’s a hint, if you’re still searching: Don’t be afraid to think outside the box.
For those still out of luck, the puzzle solution is revealed below – if you managed to spot the joker in under nine seconds, hats off to you!
And if you’re keen to put your visual perceptual skills even more to the test, a range of other optical illusions are available here.
