What are visual illusions?

Visual illusions refer to the ways in which our perception can differ from reality due to the processing of visual information by the brain. When we observe something, our brain interprets the sensory data it receives, but this interpretation can often lead to a misperception of the actual stimulus.

For instance, certain patterns, colors, or spatial arrangements might trick the brain into perceiving an object or scene differently from what it actually is. This phenomenon highlights the complex relationship between perception and reality, illustrating how various factors such as context, surrounding elements, or cognitive biases can influence our visual experiences.

In contrast, accurate representations of visual stimuli would imply that the perception aligns with the physical characteristics of the objects being viewed. Optical effects caused by light refraction are specific physical phenomena related to light behavior, not perceptual misinterpretations. Similarly, physical distortions of objects refer to actual changes in object shape or size, rather than the illusions created by our perception of them. Thus, the best definition of visual illusions is their nature as misinterpretations caused by how our brains process visual information.