Left Brain v. Right Brain

Post by **bio** » Wed Oct 10, 2007 1:54 pm

Look closely at this image:

Now quickly.... which way is it turning: clockwise or counter-clockwise?

According to the experts: if you see it turning clockwise your more left right brained, and more left brained if you see it turning counter-clockwise.

Apparently, most people see it turning counter-clockwise. It turns clockwise for me (and no... I can't reverse it in my head).

LEFT BRAIN FUNCTIONS
uses logic
detail oriented
facts rule
words and language
present and past
math and science
can comprehend
knowing
acknowledges
order/pattern perception
knows object name
reality based
forms strategies
practical
safe

RIGHT BRAIN FUNCTIONS
uses feeling
"big picture" oriented
imagination rules
symbols and images
present and future
philosophy & religion
can "get it" (i.e. meaning)
believes
appreciates
spatial perception
knows object function
fantasy based
presents possibilities
impetuous
risk taking

Post by **eddiecanuck** » Wed Oct 10, 2007 3:15 pm

Weird, it started as counter-clockwise for sure. Then I read the post, and went back up and it was going clockwise. Couldn't get it to swtich for the longest time, then I got it going counter-clockwise again. Freaky man.

Post by **miftah** » Wed Oct 10, 2007 4:15 pm

I can flip it around at will. I really don't think it has any basis in truth at all to say that it reflects your mental orientation. Near as I can see, it has about as much basis in science as horoscopes.

Encap · Post by **Encap** » Wed Oct 10, 2007 4:22 pm

What do you mean, turning?

ZIPPER · Post by **ZIPPER** » Wed Oct 10, 2007 5:40 pm

I can only see it turning clock-wise. I stared at it for a few minutes and still no change.

On the other hand Lady J could only see it counter clock-wise. Don't know if it makes any difference but she is left handed.

mudflap · Post by **mudflap** » Wed Oct 10, 2007 9:02 pm

miftah wrote:I can flip it around at will. I really don't think it has any basis in truth at all to say that it reflects your mental orientation. Near as I can see, it has about as much basis in science as horoscopes.

I can flip it at will too...I'm not seeing a real scientific measure here either. The same holds true for many illusions like this.

bugfreezer · Post by **bugfreezer** » Fri Oct 12, 2007 6:04 am

Just to be a skeptic...

Are we sure that there isn't some sort of ActionScript (Flash programming language) creativity that reverses the frame order at random? I don't see a hiccup when the frames are reversed, however.

As for the rest, I see both at various times - either I am well-balanced (HAH!!) or this is as the others say - non scientific.

Post by **miftah** » Fri Oct 12, 2007 7:08 am

Nah, I've watched it at length and its always doing the same thing. Its just a pure silhouette with no details to give you the option of determining a foreground or background. Given the lack of information, your brain will fill in the blanks. But its nothing to do with which side of the brain is dominant - it plays with this based on the fact that it moves horizontally, but you could do the same thing with a perfectly symmetrical version moving vertically. Whether your brain chooses to move her tilting backward into the field or forward into the field is, to the best of my perception, a random occurrence.

I wouldn't be surprised to see something like this on a psychology site with an explanation just like this, though. Psychologists love to base their work on stupid brain tricks like this.

Post by **bio** » Fri Oct 12, 2007 10:05 am

bugfreezer wrote:Are we sure that there isn't some sort of ActionScript (Flash programming language) creativity that reverses the frame order at random?

Nope... it's an animated gif... I've torn the file apart and there is no trickery in there.

I did find, however, that I can reverse it's direction if I squint for a moment.

Moxie · Post by **Moxie** » Fri Oct 12, 2007 10:14 am

I can only see it going clockwise, but I am *definitely* right-brained, in what would probably be considered an extreme.

mudflap · Post by **mudflap** » Fri Oct 12, 2007 1:06 pm

bio wrote:Nope... it's an animated gif... I've torn the file apart and there is no trickery in there.

Geek.

Post by **bio** » Mon Oct 15, 2007 2:18 pm

mudflap wrote:Geek.

Um... duh!