Is the dancer turning clockwise or counter-clockwise?
When I first looked at this, I couldn't believe that it was possible for the image to move in both directions, but it does. I was finally able, by focusing on the shadow of the dancer's foot, to get the rotation to shift to its opposite.
If you're seeing the dancer rotate clockwise, your right brain is dominate. If the dancer is turning counter-clockwise, your left brain is dominate. According to the Australia's Herald Sun, where the image comes from, "most of us" will see the dancer spinning counter-clockwise. My suspicion is that most of the people who visit this blog will actually see the dancer spinning clockwise, because artists and art lovers tend to use their right brain more fully than "average."
The Herald Sun lists the difference in brain function as follows:
LEFT BRAIN
uses logic
detail oriented
facts rule
words and language
present and past
math and science
can comprehend
knowing
acknowledges
order/pattern perception
knows object name
reality based
forms strategies
practical
safe
RIGHT BRAIN
uses feeling
"big picture" oriented
imagination rules
symbols and images
present and future
philosophy & religion
can "get it" (i.e. meaning)
believes
appreciates
spatial perception
knows object function
fantasy based
presents possibilities
impetuous
risk taking
Perhaps the key is to be able to shift between both perceptions, to let each hemisphere have its day. A couple of other bits worth noting, when you drive, you're dependent on right brain functions, that's what allows you to essentially multi-task, watching behind you, in front of you and all around you while you operate a vehicle that's flying along at 60 or 70 miles per hour. Another thing worth noting is that Western culture, and particularly contemporary American culture tend to give value to left brain functions over right brain functions, when, in fact, the universe, creativity and sustainability, value both equally.
If you're seeing the dancer rotate clockwise, your right brain is dominate. If the dancer is turning counter-clockwise, your left brain is dominate. According to the Australia's Herald Sun, where the image comes from, "most of us" will see the dancer spinning counter-clockwise. My suspicion is that most of the people who visit this blog will actually see the dancer spinning clockwise, because artists and art lovers tend to use their right brain more fully than "average."
The Herald Sun lists the difference in brain function as follows:
LEFT BRAIN
uses logic
detail oriented
facts rule
words and language
present and past
math and science
can comprehend
knowing
acknowledges
order/pattern perception
knows object name
reality based
forms strategies
practical
safe
RIGHT BRAIN
uses feeling
"big picture" oriented
imagination rules
symbols and images
present and future
philosophy & religion
can "get it" (i.e. meaning)
believes
appreciates
spatial perception
knows object function
fantasy based
presents possibilities
impetuous
risk taking
Perhaps the key is to be able to shift between both perceptions, to let each hemisphere have its day. A couple of other bits worth noting, when you drive, you're dependent on right brain functions, that's what allows you to essentially multi-task, watching behind you, in front of you and all around you while you operate a vehicle that's flying along at 60 or 70 miles per hour. Another thing worth noting is that Western culture, and particularly contemporary American culture tend to give value to left brain functions over right brain functions, when, in fact, the universe, creativity and sustainability, value both equally.