Optical illusions and riddles can be very tricky. Sometimes you even don’t know where to start when you see the riddle. However, such tasks can be very useful for your brain and health. People who continue learning something new and challenging their brains have a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. You can do a lot to prevent a cognitive decline, and different puzzles can help you to do it with pleasure. Let’s start with this optical illusion!

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My wife and my mother-in-law

This classic optical illusion apparently dates back to the 1880s. The oldest version of the image was found on a German postcard, but that was just the beginning. In 1915, a British cartoonist named William Ely Hill published it in the American magazine Pick and the picture became even more famous. The unusual illustration is seemingly simple, but it is not easy to find both the wife and the mother-in-law here.

Two women are hiding in this picture, but not everyone can spot them both.

Can you find the women?

Wherever and whenever the black and white image was first published, viewers still try to look closer at the lines to figure out exactly where the images of both women are. While some first notice the picture of a young and pretty woman, others’ attention was quickly drawn to that of the old woman.

© AnonymousUnknown author (Self-scanned) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

The task is to find both women. And even if it seems easy, many people just can’t see them both. Let’s try to do it together. Maybe changing your perspective and your angle can help. Move a little further away from the image or take a closer look at the "My wife and my mother-in-law" optical illusion.

It can take a couple of minutes to see both women. Did you find them? Even if not, it is perfectly normal. Take a few minutes, and you will see them clearly.

Optical illusions, puzzles, and riddles can give your brain a workout. Moreover, what you see first in this optical illusion can tell a lot about your age. Yes, this sounds weird, but according to the researchers, whether you see a young or old lady depend on your age. Australian scientists made research and asked 393 participants of different ages. The main question was who they saw in this famous optical illusion. The results, published in Scientific Reports, were surprising. It turns out that the youngest set of participants saw the young lady first, while the oldest set of participants tended to see the old lady.

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Keep your brain sharp and enjoy the optical illusion!