STOPPED CLOCK ILLUSION | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

Our eyes make quick movements called saccades, which our brain erases from memory and replaces with the next thing we see, leading to the "Stopped Clock Illusion."

Key Insights

• 😃 Saccades are quick eye movements that occur when we shift our focus from one object to another.
• 🤕 Animals that cannot move their eyeballs have to move their heads quickly to look at different things.
• 😃 The "Stopped Clock Illusion" occurs because our brain replaces the time it takes for our eyes to move with the image of the first thing we see after the movement.
• 🤗 This illusion can be experienced with a moving clock hand.
• 😃 The illusion happens because our brain erases the blur during eye movements.
• 😚 Approximately 40 minutes of time every day is lost due to saccades.
• 🎮 Saccades are a natural part of our visual system and cannot be completely controlled.

Transcript

Hey, Vsauce. Michael here. And today I've got a brand new episode of Vsauce Leanback. You can click this annotation or the link at the top of the description to start it and then you can just lean back and the autoplay playlist bring the knowledge right to your brain. As you already know, it doesn't really work on mobile phones yet so wait until yo... Read More

Questions & Answers

Q: What are saccades and how do they affect our perception?

Saccades are quick eye movements that allow us to shift our focus. They affect our perception by erasing the blur during the movement and replacing it with the next thing we see.

Q: Why does the first second of a moving clock hand seem longer?

The first second of a moving clock hand seems longer because our brain replaces the time it takes for our eyes to move to the clock with the image of the first thing we saw, which was the second hand.

Q: How much time do we lose every day due to saccades?

We lose approximately 40 minutes of time every day because our eyeballs constantly move and our brain replaces the movement with the next thing we see.

Q: Can saccades be controlled or minimized?

Saccades cannot be completely controlled or minimized as they are natural eye movements. However, techniques like visual training and mindfulness exercises can help improve control and reduce excessive saccadic movements.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Saccades are quick eye movements that occur when we shift our focus from one object to another.

• Animals that cannot move their eyeballs, like most birds, have to move their heads quickly to look at different things.

• The "Stopped Clock Illusion" occurs because our brain replaces the time it takes for our eyes to move with the image of the first thing we see after the movement.