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How many circles can you see in 10 seconds in this mind-boggling optical illusion?

How many circles can you see in 10 seconds in this mind-boggling optical illusion?

The Sun09-06-2025

TEST your IQ by finding as many circles as possible in ten seconds in the optical illusion below.
Take a look at the image to put your observational skills to the test.
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It shows black and white squares atop a grey background.
But when you start to look at the picture, the squares start to shift into a not-so-circular pattern.
Set yourself a ten second timer and count how many circles you find before it runs out.
T h e image has left social media users confused as they try to make sense of the illusion.
Even if you concentrate hard, the lines never become fully clear, making it challenging to accurately count.
As you look at the image, it morphs into a 'pretzel' pattern, created by the circles appearing to overlap.
Being able to accurately count the circles could be a sign of creativity, and strong intuition.
Optical illusions can be a great way to test your brain function.
To decipher the puzzles, your brain and eyes have to work together to make sense of what you're observing.
Everyone can see the pearls, but you need the eyes of a hawk to spot the diamond in less than 10 seconds
While your brain determines what is logical, it might not actually be what your eyes are seeing.
The shocking answer to the image reveals that there are, in fact, four circles.
While the alternating monochromatic colours make it difficult to put the image into perspective, if you stare long enough the shapes should become clearer.
The image is then revealed to show four rings, rather than the obscure 'pretzel' shape that was originally observed.
How can optical illusions and brainteasers help me?
Engaging in activities like solving optical illusions and brainteasers can have many cognitive benefits as it can stimulate various brain regions.
Some benefits include:
Cognitive stimulation: Engaging in these activities challenges the brain, promoting mental agility and flexibility.
Problem-solving skills: Regular practice enhances analytical thinking and problem-solving abilities.
Memory improvement: These challenges often require memory recall and can contribute to better memory function.
Creativity: They encourage thinking outside the box, fostering creativity and innovative thought processes.
Focus and attention: Working on optical illusions and brainteasers requires concentration, contributing to improved focus.
Stress relief: The enjoyable nature of these puzzles can act as a form of relaxation and stress relief.
You can also test other parts of your brain with different types of brainteasers.
This image of pearls can be a great way to test your eyesight - as you're asked to find the diamond in less than 10 seconds.
Brainteasers offer a great way to test your IQ and keep your mind sharp.
This maths-based brainteaser is a great way to train your brain and improve your critical thinking.
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In one of several sweeping assertions written in the first-person plural, Lewis declares: 'We love to contemplate lone rebels, indulge tortured artists and downplay the contributions of those around the genius to paint a more satisfying portrait of superhuman achievement.' Do we? There is an irritating circularity about such pronouncements, whereby the author projects on to the reader the very cliches that underlie her own analysis. The Genius Myth is one of those popular nonfiction books in which an author sells you the disease in order to sell you the cure. As is customary in this genre, it comes with its own bespoke jargon: Lewis has coined a term – 'the deficit model of genius' – to denote the prevalence of certain handicaps or character flaws among extremely talented scientists and artists. A banal truism is thus passed off as sociological insight. Lewis strives for the easy, conversational style of a Ted Talk, but her attempt at a pally register comes off stilted and ingratiating. The prose is remarkably heavy on italicisation, which lends a rather laboured feel to the exposition – at times, Lewis sounds as if she is trying to convince herself, quite as much as the reader, that something worthwhile is being imparted. A striking feature of this book is its tone of ambient philistinism, which comes through in a number of revealing asides. Reading Lewis's kooky capsule summary of James Joyce's contribution to English literature ('what-if novels, but harder to read'), her high-handed dismissal of 'self-conscious precocity and ambition' in film, and her unnecessarily conspiratorial admission that she found Peter Jackson's Beatles documentary, Get Back, 'quite boring', one can't help wondering if her misgivings about genius might be a bridge for certain personal hangups about rarefied art, and the people who make it. 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