At first glance, it seems clear. A neat little grid, a few geometric shapes… and hey presto, you think you’ve got it! However, this visual puzzle baffles most people who try it. The promise? A simple, but particularly misleading, challenge. The question: how many squares do you see in this image? Before reading on, take a moment to try your luck. You might be surprised…
Why this kind of game makes our brain work so much
There’s something irresistible about optical illusions and perception challenges like this. You think, « Come on, just take a look, » and five minutes later, you’re counting for the third time, convinced you’ve missed a detail. This type of test stimulates what’s called selective attention —the ability to sort through relevant information amidst visual noise. And it goes without saying that your powers of observation are put to the test !
The Mistake 92% of People Make
The natural reflex? Count only the obvious squares, the ones that jump out at you. In a 3×3 grid, you quickly identify the 9 small squares. Then you think of the outer square, the largest: hey presto, that makes 10. But the subtlety lies in the hidden configurations .
Because yes, in this puzzle, there are squares formed by assembling several small squares. A 2×2 square, for example, is made up of 4 squares: if you look closely, you’ll find several. That’s where the difficulty lies. And it’s also where most players get surprised !
