Can you beat the odds? Eight in ten people are fooled by this tricky, festive optical illusion

Christmas is a time for relaxing and enjoying quality time with family and friends. For some, this can mean playing games together. There’s traditional board games to consider, of course, but there’s also multiple optical illusions you could take on which would keep you entertained for hours.

This new festive optical illusion has been created specifically with a Yuletide theme, and if you think you’re eagle eyed it will really put your eyes and mind to the test.

So, what does the illusion show and how does it work? Here’s what you need to know.

What does the optical illusion show?

The image shows multiple red and white snowflakes of different sizes against a blue background in two matching designs of slightly different sizes. There are two red snowflakes in total, and while the two red snowflakes may appear to be different sizes they are actually identical. Many people do, however, struggle to train their eyes to see this and actually believe that one of the red snowflakes is bigger than the other.

How does the optical illusion work?

This is known as the ‘Ebbinghaus’ illusion, named after the German psychologist, Hermann Ebbinghaus, who discovered the phenomenon.   When the surrounding white snowflakes are closer to the central red snowflake, this makes the red one appear larger.

Meanwhile when the surrounding white snowflakes are further away, the central red snowflake appears smaller. Our brain tells us that the red snowflake on the left must be smaller, because it is far away from the white ones around it, while the right red snowflake seems larger for the opposite reason.

If you stare for long enough, can you see how the snowflakes are actually the same size? Eight in ten people can’t train their brains to do this.

Where has the optical illusion come from?

The optical illusion has been created and shared by Jackpotjoy, which is home to a range of online bingo, live casino and slot games.

How can I see more optical illusions?

Check out our optical illusions page for more mind-bending images. Keep this page bookmarked too and keep looking back at it as we update it regularly with new, fresh and exciting illusions.

Jackpot Joy have also created several other optical illusions which you can view by clicking on the links below:

• Are you a dog or a cat person? New optical illusion helps you discover which is your true favourite pet animal
• Does this colourful spiral spin or not? This hypnotic optical illusion will test your eyes and your mind
• Do you follow your head or heart? The animal you see in optical illusion reveals key personality trait

Also, take a look at some of our most popular optical illusions by following the links below:

• What do you see in this optical illusion? Animal you spot first says a lot about your personality
• You have the best eyesight if you can spot the snow leopard hiding in the mountains in this optical illusion
• Optical illusion by Ukrainian artist shows four women - are you among 2% of people who can spot them all?