Fact check: This optical illusion does not measure your stress levels
The claim: An optical illusion created by a Japanese neurologist can reveal how stressed you are
An image of an optical illusions that claims to measure stress levels has made a comeback on social media.
“This image was created by a Japanese neurologist,” the caption says. “If the image is still, you are calm, if the image moves a bit, stressed and if it moves like a carousel, you are very stressed. Tell me how are you doing?”
Facebook users commented: "Very stressed, and now stressed about being stressed"; "I cant believe I am not stressed and very calm. When has that ever happened?" and "It's not moving for me. Maybe I need coffee!"
The image was posted to social media sites including Facebook, Twitter and Reddit countless times since February. The inaccurate claim has circulated on social media since it went viral in 2018.
A Nov. 18 tweet, similarly attributed the illusion to “Japanese Psychotherapist Yamamoto Hashima” and claimed interpretation of the image could reveal dangerous exhaustion.
Do you see movement?
● Not moving.?
● Moving slowly.?
● Moving fast.?
Japanese Psychotherapist Yamamoto Hashima has developed a test for tiredness.
For Answer Check the details in Comment box. (below the Image). 🌻
Re-tweet the Post. pic.twitter.com/bzDgKPxy9z— 🌻N0bLe |🇵🇰 (@MunirUrRehman) November 11, 2018
“1. The image does not move - you are stable. 2. Slow movement - psycho-emotional exhaustion, desirable rest in sanatorium, resort. 3. Active, hectic movement - dangerous signs of psychosis, neurasthenia,” the comment box warned.
The claim was fact-checked by the BBC, BuzzFeed News and Snopes in 2018. Reuters debunked the claim again in February when it resurfaced.
All of the sites tracked the illusion’s origin to Ukraninan artist Yurii Perepadia.
In a Nov. 18 Instagram caption, Perepadio explains that he created this image in Adobe Illustrator on Sept. 26, 2016. To mimic the appearance of motion he used an effect created by Akioshi Kitaoka, a professor of psychology at Ritsumeikan Uniersity in Osaka, Japan.
A post shared by Yurii Perepadia (@yuryfrom) on Nov 18, 2018 at 10:45am PST
“I am mainly doing experimental psychological research on perception,” Kitaoka explains on the Ritsumeikan University website. “I am currently researching various illusions such as color illusion, motion illusion, and shape illusion.”
Kitaoka shares his illusion images and effects online.
“This is a white and black stroke on a colored background, which sets in motion the focus of vision and it seems to a person that the details of the image are moving,” Perepadia said, explaining how the effect works.
The illusion has no clinical ability to measure mental health.
“Japanese psychotherapist Yamamoto Hashima has nothing to do with this picture,” Perepadia responded to viral claims about his work. “Moreover, Yamamoto Hashima does not really exist.”
Our ruling: False
We rate the claim that an optical illusion created by a Japanese neurologist can measure viewers' stress levels FALSE because it is not supported by our research. The illusion was created by an artist – not a doctor – and has no proven ability to measure stress levels.
Our fact-check sources:
BBC "No, this optical illusion doesn't reveal anything about your stress levels"
BuzzFeed News "This Artist’s Image Is Being Used As A Stress Test. But He Says It’s Fake."
Snopes "Will Looking at This Image Reveal How Stressed You Are?"
Reuters "False claim: Circulating image claims to test viewers' stress levels"
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Optical illusion does not measure your stress levels
