Which way is the 'dancer' spinning?

[sff_corgi_lj]

An exercise in perception.



[Poll #1088490]

I'll explain it in a separate post after I see some voting in here. :)

Comments

[harpinred.livejournal.com]

Actually, she's going both directions. First Widdershins and then Deosil. It's very cool!

[allah-sulu.livejournal.com]

Good thing I didn't want to answer "counter-clockwise".

[sff-corgi.livejournal.com]

Yup, it's a good thing indeed! [eg]

[barsukthom.livejournal.com]

It's a demonic mind-control plot.

[jenna-thorn.livejournal.com]

Okay, that's weird. When this first got linked a couple of weeks ago, I stared and stared and she wouldn't go clockwise for me. But just now, as I was clicking up and down on the scroll bar to answer the poll, she shifted, and went clockwise for a little bit until I clicked her off my screen and then back up and now she's going widdershins like she was originally.

Brains are tasty. But confusing.

[erised1810.livejournal.com]

what on earth is that about? and please explai naeverything. includign option 3 and 4 because i nver heard of those words...

[cerrberus.livejournal.com]

It is an image in black of a woman's figure, apparently spinning. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, bur deosil and widdershins are antique counterparts to clockwise and anti-clockwise [also known as counterclockwise to at least us Yanks]. Totally visual illusion.

[erised1810.livejournal.com]

so theyr'e just other words for the same directions? and this is where we shoud lguess which wa yshe's going? hmmm...

[cerrberus.livejournal.com]

I believe so. If one can see the figure, it appears to be spinning; and there are some perceptual differences in people that interpret the figure spinning one way or the other, or sometimes alternating. I've not looked at such an illusion for years, and do not remember the psychology behind this.

[sff-corgi.livejournal.com]

Thank you for taking care of those answers for me, Cerrb. :)

[sydneyjn415.livejournal.com]

Both!

[proudofthefish.livejournal.com]

Yay for both!

[themorningstarr.livejournal.com]

I stared and stared and every time I blinked she changed directions. Then I started purposely making her change directions. Then I got up and tried to see which felt more natural if I were to spin like that.

So... um... hypnotized.

[baked-goldfish.livejournal.com]

You can make it switch if you want it to. I just focus on the movement of the shadow, but some people do it by focusing on the extended leg or arm.

[moeyknight.livejournal.com]

I can't answer because I can make her spin whichever way I want. I am that good. :D

[cerrberus.livejournal.com]

I'm in the both-camp. Deosil followed by widdershins and, when my attention shifted to page down, back deosil as I scrolled away.

[cscottd.livejournal.com]

Initially, the first time I saw the image, she was moving clockwise.

While looking at it however, I found I could make the image switch to anti-clockwise, and go back-and-forth between the two at will.

The very weird thing (to me) is that whichever direction I have it going last, it will be going in that same direction the next time I look at the image.

This seems particularly strange if I've completely closed the browser window and then view it again later, after a good bit of time has passed, but that does seem to be the case.

UPDATE: It does appear that if enough time passes, my brain will "reset" back to clockwise. I'm not sure how long it takes, but the last time I looked at it was an hour ago (and I had her spinning anti-clockwise at the time) and when I viewed it again just now, she's back to clockwise again. Although, it definitely takes longer than a few minutes, because I can close the browser (with the dancer going anti-clockwise), wait several minutes and go back to this entry and she will still be going anti-clockwise. Weird.

[annechen-melo.livejournal.com]

I don't understand - I cannot make her turn widdershins. I've tried all the suggestions, but the highlights on her cheek and hand, with the reflection of the foot on the surface make it nigh impossible for me to see how anyone can make her reverse.

The progression of the topographical map is too much for me.

[sff-corgi.livejournal.com]

I couldn't get her to switch directions until I looked at the tiny icon on the tab in IE; somehow focussing on that let me do it.

[delirium23.livejournal.com]

I just said "hypnotised" because it keeps changing.