Do you see a beach or a broken car door in this optical illusion?

10 July 2019, 12:18 | Updated: 10 July 2019, 12:23

By Naomi Bartram

@naomibartram

Apparently, there's a scientific reason we can't see this photo for what it really is.

Last week we were baffled trying to find a hidden hot air balloon among a sea of pastel beach balls, and now there’s a new optical illusion doing the rounds.

The latest picture to be dividing social media is one which at first glance appears to be a beach or shoreline under a moody sky with waves coming in.

But in actual fact, the photo is the bottom of a car door with an almighty bump along it.

One Twitter user Nayem shared the picture on Twitter, along with the caption: “If you can see a beach, ocean sky, rocks and stars then you are an artist.

"But it’s not a painting its lower part of the car gate which needs to be repaired."

Obviously, the snap went viral and soon ended up on Reddit as thousands of users argued over what they could see. One person said: "I can still see the beach. I can see the car if I want, but the beach is better."

“Am I trippin? Because I really see the beach,” said another, while a third commented: “I really want to see the car gate but I just don’t.”

Read More: The first thing you see in this optical illusion will reveal something about your personality

And a fourth added “I took almost a minute to understand this ”

Some users tried to explain the optical illusion with something called ‘confirmation bias’ which is when your brain favours previously existing beliefs or biases.

So, because the first few words of the Tweet suggest it’s a beach, that’s what people see.

One user said: "It looks like a beach from the thumbnail.

"You already expect, 'this is a picture of a beach'. This is your first impression, and it's just your feeling.

"Hardly any 'information', beyond the picture, but you're confident already.

Read More: Mysterious optical illusion coffee sign is messing with people's heads

"Then the caption confirms that with an affirming message, 'if you see a beach then you're an artist'.

"Then once it's revealed what it actually is, your brain struggles to see it as anything but a beach.

"That's how quickly our brains create those connections in our heads."

Another explanation is that what you see all depends on whether you’re more dominant on the right side of your brain or the left.

While the right side of the brain completes creative tasks, the left part is responsible for logical tasks such as in science and mathematics.