THIS optical illusion is so difficult that anyone who can figure it out must have eagle eyes and a sky-high IQ.
Only a small percentage of people with a keen eye for detail and a knack for maths will be able to count exactly how many squares are pictured.
Engaging in activities like solving optical illusions and brainteasers can have many cognitive benefits as it can stimulate various brain regions.
Some benefits include:
Challenge yourself and see if you can work out this tricky illusion in less than nine seconds.
If you can, you have an incredibly high IQ along with extremely impressive counting skills.
In a more mathematical brain teaser like this one, the best technique is to really study the image and understand the pattern – multiple squares overlapping.
With just one glance, it’s unlikely you will give yourself the chance to account for all of the squares.
If you have a sharp brain, it will work quickly to piece together all the information we’re seeing.
While this illusion may hurt your eyes, keep your focus, but not for too long so that you avoid eye strain.
Did you get it right?
There are a total of a whopping 40 squares – piled up on top of what initially looks like four rows of four squares with two more laying across the image.
This is because the image follows a basic pattern of a 4 x 4 grid – creating 16 squares at first.
But even more squares emerge as two larger squares are superimposed on the centre.
Now if you group these into 2 x 2 squares, there are three of those across and down, and 3 x 3 totals nine.
If you do the same using 3 x 3 squares, there are 2 across and 2 down, so there are 2 x 2 = 4 of them.
And of course if you group them into a 4 x 4 square, there’s just one.
If we do the same with the two superimposed squares, there are eight small squares and two large squares in total.
That brings the total to 40 if we add up 16, 9, 4, 1, 8 and 2.
If you fancy exercising your brain further, try the illusions below.
Check this mind-bending brainteaser where you are asked to find the hidden butterfly amongst flowers in just seven seconds.
To make things harder, try figuring out what’s wrong with this image of smiling women as you count their legs in 11 seconds.
Lastly, you might want to prove you have a 20/20 vision as you search for a strawberry in this carnival scene.
