The “My husband and father-in-law” illusion is a variation of the “My wife and my mother-in-law” illusion, which is an optical illusion that is an image of a man’s face that can also be perceived as an older man’s face.
This illusion is also created by the way the brain organizes the visual information in the image, and how it interprets the relationships between the different features of the face.
Table of Contents
- How does the My Husband and Father In Law Illusion work?
- Versions of the My Husband and Father In Law Illusion
- Illusions like the My Husband and Father In Law Illusion
- Discovery of the My Husband and Father In Law Illusion
- References and Resources
- Sign up for emails from Mental Bomb
How does the My Husband and Father In Law Illusion work?
The illusion is based on a drawing that shows a young man’s face in profile view, but by slightly adjusting the position of the features, the same image can also be perceived as an older man’s face in profile view.
The brain organizes the visual information in a way that creates the most meaningful and coherent interpretation, which can vary depending on how the viewer looks at the image.
This illusion is similar to the “My wife and my mother-in-law” illusion.
It works by playing with the viewer’s expectations about the relationships between the different facial features, and highlights the brain’s ability to perceive depth and 3-dimensional structure in 2-dimensional images, and how it organizes the information in a way that creates the most meaningful and coherent interpretation.
Additionally, it is also related to the concept of “perceptual set” which refers to the brain’s ability to focus on specific aspects of the image and ignore others depending on the context, and “top-down processing” where the brain uses prior knowledge to interpret the visual information coming from the eyes.
Versions of the My Husband and Father In Law Illusion
The following are some alternate versions of the My Husband and Father In Law Illusion:
Illusions like the My Husband and Father In Law Illusion
Ambiguous illusions are visual stimuli that can be interpreted in more than one way. These illusions typically consist of a single image that can be perceived in multiple ways. Ambiguous illusions can be used to study the neural mechanisms of perception and how the brain resolves ambiguity.
Some related illusions include the following:
The Rubin vase, also known as the Rubin face or the figure-ground vase, is a famous optical illusion in which the image of a vase can also be perceived as two faces in profile looking at each other.
The duck-rabbit illusion is an optical illusion that is an image that can be perceived as either a duck or a rabbit depending on how the viewer looks at it.
The Necker cube is an optical illusion that features a simple wireframe drawing of a cube. The cube appears to switch back and forth between two different orientations.
The My Wife and My Mother-in-Law illusion is an optical illusion with an image of a young woman’s face that can also be perceived as an older woman’s face.
The Schröder Staircase is an optical illusion that features a drawing of a staircase. The staircase appears to be either ascending or descending, depending on how the brain interprets the angles of the lines.
The impossible cube is an optical illusion that depicts a three-dimensional object that is physically impossible to construct.
The Penrose triangle, also known as the Penrose tribar, is an optical illusion that depicts a three-dimensional object that is physically impossible to construct.
The impossible trident is a three-pronged impossible shape resembling a trident. It is usually depicted as a three-pronged fork with each prong appearing to be a continuation of the next, creating an impossible shape.
The spinning dancer illusion is a visual illusion that depicts a silhouette of a dancer spinning clockwise or counterclockwise. The direction of the dancer’s spin can appear to change depending on the viewer’s perception
The Monroe-Einstein illusion works by playing with the viewer’s expectations about the relationships between the features of the faces and the viewer’s sense of facial proportions.
Discovery of the My Husband and Father In Law Illusion
The My Husband and My Father In Law illusion was created by neurology professor Dr. Jack Botwinick.
Dr. Jack Botwinick is a well-known neuropsychologist who has made significant contributions in the field of aging and cognitive psychology.
He is a professor of psychology at the City University of New York, and has also served as a faculty member at other institutions.
He has authored several books and numerous research papers on topics such as aging and memory, cognitive aging, and neuropsychology.
He is also known for his work in developing and testing theories of cognitive aging, and for his contributions to the understanding of the neural and cognitive mechanisms underlying memory and aging.
References and Resources
Check out our complete list of illusions.