There is an optical illusion named ‘my wife & my mother-in-law’ and people have been scratching their heads for some time now about it, to be exact, since 1915.
This popular brain teaser created by Wiliam Ely Hill, a British cartoonist, is based on a facial perception trick.
When one looks at it, they either see a wife’s or a mother-in-law’s face; however, it’s pretty hard, almost impossible to see both simultaneously.
Namely, people who’ve researched the illusion closely shows that people either spotted the younger or the older woman first.
And, they struggled to see the second woman once they saw the first; research notes that the reason behind this may have to do with age.
My Wife & my Mother-in-Law Optical Illusion
If you’ve never seen it before, take a look at this clever illustration. And, even if you’ve seen it, check it out again.
What is the first woman YOU see?
If you saw the wife first and were struggling to see the mother-in-law, here’s a clue to find her easier; the young woman’s necklace is the mother-in-law’s mouth.
If you spotted the older woman first and you can’t locate the younger wife, closely look at the woman’s nose: this is supposed to be the jaw line of the younger woman.
Who would’ve thought?!
What Does the Study Say about this Optical Illusion?
According to the study done in Australia, the researchers asked from 393 volunteers between the age of 18 and 68 to tell them the first woman who they spot in the image.
The results which were published in 2018 in the Scientific Reports journal showed that the youngest people saw the wife first whereas the older ones usually saw the mother-in-law first.
The researchers explain that from a social in-group like people of similar age, faces are processed holistically and in-depth.
And, when we think about it, it’s not too shocking that most people would see an image they could relate with more; even if the sole connection is age proximity.
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