Click Here - try it, it's really cool.
Some people might guess that I would tend to be "left brained" (uses logic, detail oriented, facts rule, math and science...). But in many aspects I actually consider myself more "right brained" ("big picture" oriented, present and future, philosophy & religion, can "get it" (i.e. meaning), appreciates, presents possibilities..) I clearly came out as "right brained" in the test based on the way I saw the figure spinning. Interesting and kind of fun, but I have no idea how accurate or meaningful any of this really is.
There was one very interesting comment about this that I read in the Andrew Sullivan blog. It brings up an important political lesson.
"The dancer is a great optical illusion... it's in how your brain is interpreting the data its getting, not in anything physical/visual. [With some practice you can make the dancer shift directions] It's a very strange sensation when you get the first "switch". After some practice, you can make it switch directions at will.
There are lessons here, aren't there? Most of us are caught in left or right mode, absolutely sure that 1) we are right, 2) our opposite numbers are wrong, and 3) there's no other rational way to interpret the data: isn't it true that when you first watch the dancer - whether you think she's spinning left or right - you simply can't IMAGINE how anyone could rationally make the opposite interpretation? You can SEE she's going left - or right. There's absolutely no other option - until you see the shift. Then you realize both interpretations are right - and both are wrong. You realize it's not either/or - it's both/and. "
An important lesson about unjustified certainty and keeping an open mind.
3 comments:
This was truly bizarre. Initially, I couldn't really tell which way she was spinning, so I examined just her feet, and then her arms, and determined that she was balancing on her right foot and spinning to her left (i.e. counter-clockwise). A classically "left-brain" approach.
Then I tried the experiment of getting her to change directions, and sure enough, after a certain amount of time looking at the figure through my peripheral vision, she appeared to be spinning in the opposite direction! I examined the figure more carefully again, and sure enough now she seemed to be standing on her LEFT foot and spinning to the right!
Of course, my left brain also tells me there is an even simpler solution. It may just be that the program randomly changes the direction of the figure in order to mess with our heads....
So naturally, aspiring to function fully as a "whole brained" person, I continued to experiment...and have discovered (as promised) that I can indeed get the girl to spin whichever way I wish at will (ah, that the REST of my relationshps with women were so easy!), which pretty much eliminates my earlier hypothesis of randomness, and suggests instead either: 1) some form of semi-magical CyberESP (of which I am highly skeptical), or 2) that this is indeed some sort of optical illusion which may or may not reflect brain hemisphere dominance. Tempted to experiment some more, but I really do need to get some real work done this morning....
I'm glad people are enjoying this. I got reports back from other friends who said they had lots of fun with 4 people gathered around the computer monitor staring at it, each with a different experience about which way they initially saw the figure spin and/or how easy it was to see it change directions.
I haven't really been able to notice a good corelation between the direction of the figure spinning and their personality type though.
Mike Ignatowski
Post a Comment