Only People With Higher Than Average IQs Can See The Hidden Image In These Zig-Zag Lines
Research shows that people who can quickly disregard the zig-zagging lines and find the hidden image have higher than average IQs.
It's so easy for us to take our sense of sight for granted that you'd probably never think your ability to decode what's really going on in an optical illusion, like something hiding in a sea of zig-zag lines, actually makes for a pretty decent IQ test.
As we go through life, we have a tendency to mainly see what we want to see, using our personal life experiences as a filter of sorts. And while most of us do understand that perceptions vary from person to person, many of us take what we see as fact, rarely consciously considering the fact that what we're looking at any given time could actually be something else.
To take this simple IQ test, simply look at the image below.
Ilja Klemencov
Some people may see the hidden image immediately, while others may need to squint, hold the image closer or father away from their eyes, or turn their heads or the screen to an angle.
If you can see the image in between the zig-zagged lines fairly easily, it means you're likely to have an above average IQ.
Back in 2013, a team of researchers from the University of Rochester and Vanderbilt University conducted a study examining the relationship between IQ and the brain's ability to quickly dimiss irrelevant information. As it turns out, they were indeed able to find a solid link between intelligence and "low-level suppression of sensory information."
In more simple terms explained by the news staff at Advocate Aurora Health, this means that "people with a higher IQ are able to focus on the details and disregard less relevant information with greater ease than their less intelligent counterparts."
Try doing so again if you haven't seen it yet. This time I'll give you a hint: it's an animal.
Here, I'll even zoom in on the image and show you the fuzzy guy from a little closer up.
Ilja Klemencov
See it now? If not, we'll show you some mercy and let you in on the secret: it's a panda.
Here's that tricky hidden Panda outlined in red for the non-believers among you:
Ilja Klemencov
Not only is this a fun quiz you can now share with your friends to see how quickly they can find the cute panda in comparison to how quickly you found it, but there's also a good cause behind this image's creation.
In 2016, Russian artist Ilja Klemencov created the image — which features the panda from the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) logo and is titled "They Can Disappear" — to bring awareness to bring public awareness to the threat of extinction faced by wild giant pandas.
And maybe it worked! At the time, wild pandas were considered an endangered species, in 2021 the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) upgraded pandas from “endangered” to “vulnerable,” citing nearly 17% population growth over the previous 10 years.
How reliable is this inspiring image of the WWF's giant panda hidden between zigzagging lines as an IQ test?
We can't say with 100% certainty that this particular image makes for a perfect IQ test, but there is some pretty solid evidence that how easily you can find this exact panda in this exact image doesn't mean nothing.
About a year after the image first surfaced on Imgur, another team of researchers, this time in Germany and the Czech Republic, conducted a test to see if people's ability to find the panda was a good predictor of visual acuity, the eye's ability to see shapes and details at a distance. Their answer was yes.
And given that visual acuity is strongly tied to higher IQ scores, well, if you saw that panda, things are looking pretty good for you.
(Pun both totally accurate and intended.)
Higher Perspective seeks to bring together like-minded individuals focused on personal growth and expanding their consciousness.